Time & Confusion
by SweetnLowGirl77
Summary: Mark's jealous and has something he needs to confess to Quinn? Lisa's moving to New Hampshire? James is back and Zoey still has his necklace? Lola's having dreams about another guy that's not Vince? What's going on? Don't worry, endings are always happy
1. Feng Shui and Australian Madness

**A/N: This is my first ever Z101 fic and it is loosely based off the song Time & Confusion by Anberlin. It's an amazing song about friendship and I highly suggest you listen to it. Now while there is definitely romance going on, it's not **_**totally**_** fluffy, and there's major confusion going on between people and their feelings. Just for some background info they are all seniors, and James is gone temporarily but I will warn you this is not the last you'll hear of him (all James haters please hold your torches and pitchforks you'll love me by the end of this story, I promise!). Well, I'll shut up now and let you enjoy the story.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Zoey 101 or any of its characters. They all belong to Nickelodeon and other rich people. **

* * *

"A little to the left."

Zoey and Quinn sighed as they lifted their already sore arms and moved their purple couch two places to their left.

"No, the other left."

Zoey rolled her eyes to Quinn and they once again moved the heavy piece of furniture.

Lola tapped her chin. "Hmm…but then again…"

"Oh, gosh," moaned Quinn.

"…If the couch goes there, it'll block sunlight from our window, and sunlight is the ultimate source of spiritual equilibrium. You know what? Move the couch back to that corner, there." Both Quinn and Zoey gave Lola a "you-can't-be-serious" look.

"But Lola," growled Zoey, "That's right back where we started!"

"Oh, well…then that means I always had great spiritual taste! Go me! Now, if only there was a way to move the beds…"

Both girls under the brutal wing Lola let out a harmonious sigh. Zoey pinched Quinn on her upper right arm.

"Ow!" yelped Quinn before caressing the slightly red mark. "What was that for?"

"That was for introducing Lola to this "feng shui" madness; now for the past five hours we've been her labor slaves! Look," she held out her pinkie finger. "I broke a nail! On my pinkie! You know that's my favorite finger!"

"Hey! How would I have known that she would take my science observation of changing-orientation-of-an-established-environment-affecting-the-minds-of humans seriously? I didn't even take it seriously. "

It all started after school when the gang was hanging out at the boys' lounge. Chase was beating Logan's butt at Speed Racer (for the 18th consecutive time), Michael was paying—that's right, paying—Dustin to help him with his math homework, Lola was giving Zoey a pedicure, and Quinn was reading her issue of Scientific Mind monthly. She had found an article that mentioned altering your surroundings such as furniture, for example, to reach a positive Qi, or energy (something like that). She read the article aloud (even though only the girls really listened) and called it a bunch of "pseudoscience bologna". However, Lola took a great liking to it. Completely ignoring the girl with half-painted toenails, she grabbed Quinn's magazine and dragged both her roommates to start her new project.

"Oh, giiiirls," called Lola from the closet, "I just noticed how unorganized our closet is! Maybe if we moved some things to the back wall and throw out all of Quinn's biohazard boxes we can—" but as she was making her way out, she noticed Zoey and Quinn completely knocked out on the couch.

"Oh, come on!" she complained more-or-less to herself considering her roommates were unconscious on the couch. "A little hard labor never hurt anybody!"

With that, she decided to prove how easy moving a box could be, so she walked toward Zoey's end of the room and eyed a blue box worth moving. After approximately three seconds of hard labor she gave up.

"Ouch, I broke a nail. Stupid hard labor."

She decided feng shui wasn't as fun when she didn't have people to move everything for her, so she turned out the lights and crawled into bed (at 3:00 in the morning).

* * *

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!"

That, my friends, was the sound of the Californian Michael Barrett screaming.

Zoey, Quinn, and Lola (and probably the entire campus) abruptly woke up to the sound of Michael's disastrous cry. Zoey didn't know what was worse: the new gigantic ringing in her ears or the awkward sensation of Quinn's foot on her face. She pushed her off, causing Quinn to fall with a thump, and rubbed her eyes.

"I didn't know we set our alarm clock to _Michael Scream_ at 7:00 am."

"I wonder what's wrong with him" asked Quinn rubbing her butt from the fall.

"I don't know, but when I see him I'm gonna kill him." The two girls turned to Lola who jumped from her top bunk to the floor.

"Why?"

"Because his stupid screaming caused my nail polish to fall. Ugh, my favorite, too!" She kneeled down and caressed the open miniature bottle. "Aw… Strawberry Maroon…you will be missed."

Zoey and Quinn rolled their eyes and threw all their pillows at their overly dramatic friend. That's what she gets for letting them get only four hours of sleep.

* * *

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Lisa crossed her arms and patiently waited for Michael's episode to end. After five minutes, however, it was getting extremely tiring and a bit embarrassing. She grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him up from his puddle of tears on the floor.

"Michael, please, get a hold of yourself."

"Get a hold of myself!? Get a hold of myself!? Here, I'll get a hold of myself!!" he dramatically spun 360 degrees and wrapped his arms tightly around himself. Lisa rolled her eyes. Stupid literal body language.

"See!? Getting a hold of myself is not going to stop you from moving to New Hampshire! Where is New Hampshire, anyway?"

"It's in—"

"Bleghwha! I don't care where New Hampshire is! Stop changing the subject!"

"But you asked me—"

"Bleghwhaaa! Lisaaa! Babyyy! How could you do this to me? To us? To them—to anybody?"

"What?"

"You know what I mean!"

Lisa sighed. "Michael, I told you. I got a full four year scholarship to the University of Hampshire Arts (_totally made up, by the way_), and it's really hard to get into."

"Okay, that's college which is still a year away. Finish your senior year _here_ with _me_."

He desperately grabbed onto her hand. He would squeeze it off if that meant making her stay with him. He stared longingly into her eyes, hoping to get through to her. Lisa, desperate to give him comfort, grabbed onto his hand in response.

"You know I would love that, but in order to be enrolled without having to pay 5,000 dollars extra—money that my family doesn't have—you have to be a resident of the area for at least six months. Cunnington Academy is great, I'll be fine."

"Yeah," Michael released her hand and groaned, "Fine for you; horrible for me."

"Michael…"

"So, it this it? Is this your way of breaking up with me? Is this your way of telling me it's over, that we're never gonna see each other again?"

Lisa was silent, and Michael knew he was right. After all, silence _does_ speak a thousand words. He began pacing the room.

"Michael…"

"Oh, don't _Michael_ me! Don't _I'm sorry_ me! Don't do anything to me, because you can't break my heart more than you already have!"

"Michael, stop! You know that's not fair! This is my future! You know how much I love to dance. I've waited so long for this chance; please don't take it away from me."

Michael could have cried; he could have yelled out some snappy yet nonsensical remark like he usually does, but he held his tongue. For once he had to control his emotional overactive mind and think about what really mattered: Lisa. She would always talk about different performance arts colleges around California; she always signed up for dance shows; she even choreographed PCA's musical of "The Wonderful World of Meat". It was unfortunately painfully obvious how much she loved to dance—probably loved it more than him—and no matter how hard it was for him to think of that, he had to, for Lisa.

"Look, Michael. I have to go or else I'm late for first period. You should get going, too." She grabbed her bag from off the floor.

"My parents are coming tonight after school to bring me to the airport. Maybe we can talk before then." She leaned to give him a light kiss on the cheek. He didn't object, but he didn't really accept, either. Lisa sighed. She knew this wasn't going to be easy, but she couldn't let anything stand in the way of her dream. She smiled at him one last time and turned for the door.

Forget first period. It was just stupid American Literature. And besides, he couldn't take Lola seeing him like this, since he had first period with her. Instead, Michael stayed in his dorm room alone, sulking in his bed, drowning in his own wretchedness.

"Lisaaaaa…"

* * *

The bell rang signaling one minute left to get to class. However, that didn't matter seeing as how Quinn was already in her seat early as usual. Well…sleeping in her seat. She shot up at the ringing of the bell with drool covering her right cheek. Poor Quinn falling asleep at her desk; since that whole "Lola-making-her-roommates-rearrange-the-dorm-room" incident she's been collapsing every three minutes to Physics all the way from the dorm.

"Ugh," she croaked. She wiped the disgusting drool from her cheek when she noticed her new recent Quinnvention: the shockwatch. It was like her zap watch but instead of zapping others it gave the user minor electrical currents throughout his/her body. She could use that to shock herself so she wouldn't fall asleep! (_Why she would invent a device that would inflict pain on her? I don't know_) Quinn smiled at her plan and pushed a button repeatedly on the watch, setting it for shockage every three minutes.

"There."

The late bell sounded which—as always—signaled the time for Logan Reese to walk in the classroom. Quinn smiled in that intoxicated way only Logan could make her feel. Why did it always seem that he walked in slow motion with a gigantic fan blowing against him every time he walked in a room? Logan did the traditional "head-nod of acknowledgement" to a couple of people in the stools before he took his usual seat next to his super hot and intelligent girlfriend in the middle row.

"Hey you," he sing-songed while taking off his book bag and placing a light kiss on her forehead. It's been officially ten months since he and Quinn started dating (well, six months if you don't count their days of "undercover love"). He had to admit that sometimes it did feel a bit strange considering he hasn't been in a relationship this long. EVER. Quinn definitely had the other girls beat by…9 months, 3 weeks, and 6 days. Well, he did still hear a few voices in the hall that sounded like, "Logan may be kinda stupid, but he's hot. Him and the science chick Quinn Pensky? I so can't see it," or some that sounded like, "Oh! I wish I had a guy that was brave enough to confess his love for me in front of the entire student body! Quinn is sooo lucky!"

Yes, yes she is.

"Hey you, too," Quinn dragged because of the yawning. Every muscle in her body was screaming for her to just fall limp on her broad boyfriend's shoulder and sleep, but the shock watch was in full affect and she could already feel a small electric current coursing through her veins.

Logan (on a more recent non self-centered occasion) stopped looking at his dazzling reflection through the back of his cell phone and noticed Quinn yawning for the fourth time.

"Hey," his tone was casual with a just-for-Quinn touch of compassion, "What's wrong, tired much?"

"Yeah…blame Lola for keeping me and Zoey up all night."

Logan chuckled, "I will gladly do so."

Quinn yawned for the fifth time. Suddenly there came a…

:SHOCK:

"AH!" yelped Quinn. Everyone turned their gaze toward the couple in the middle row. Logan was just as confused as they were, but he casually (and a bit awkwardly) cautioned everyone that everything was okay, and then spun around to face Quinn.

"Um, what was that!?" Quinn had to take a minute to come out of her shock then adjusted her glasses.

"My shockwatch went off," she said casually.

"Your _shockwatch_?"

"Yeah, see I set it for every three minutes so I won't fall asleep. Pretty clever, huh?"

"Pretty stupid," Logan sighed. "Look, turn that thing off alright? I'll make sure you won't fall asleep."

"Oh, please," she argued. "You can barely keep yourself from falling asleep."

"I will alright? Just please turn that thing off before you kill yourself."

Quinn could argue more on how it was scientifically impossible for her extremely low voltage watch to cause death, but she noticed in his voice how he just worried. She thought it was cute, so all she said was,

"Okay." Logan smiled in approval and began rocking back and forth on the heels of his lab stool.

"So," Quinn began, "The girls and I heard Michael cry out this morning. Do you have any clue as to why?"

"Don't know don't care."

"Logaaan…" she reprimanded.

"Quiiinn…" he mimicked her tone rather poorly.

:SLAM:

Everyone froze and sat up straight as they saw their Physics teacher Mr. Pentlatski enter the room (well, all except Logan who was too comfortable in his super laid back position to care).

"Good 'aye mates!" See, Mr. Pentlatski was adopted by and Australian couple when he was eleven, so he desperately tries to fake an Australian accent. The students have yet to catch him when his guard was down to expose him for the middle-aged boarding school teacher he is. Poor, poor man

"Alrighty then! Rather than take attendance or watch the morning announcements, I'm gonna skip all that mind bladder and get right to the fun stuff—projects!"

"Really?" random students asked in excitement.

"You bet your wally! Now you and your mate will build a machine that's not only a pure beaut, but reflects the laws and principals we've learned thus far. For example, a pendulum, a pulley system, or my personal favorite, catapults!"

"Woo!" a yell of excitement roared through the class. It's not that Physics wasn't a riveting educational adventure for the mind, but free reign on a project equaled awesomness in Mr. Pentlatski's class.

"You know what this means," purred Logan to Quinn in a very seductive tone.

"Another chance for an easy A by mooching off your girlfriend?" Quinn ribbed.

"Now Quinn, you know I only mooch off of you…45 percent of the time."

"Plus 55"

"What?"

"Now hold your captains quarters, class," Mr. Pentlatski interrupted, "There is the dilly of picking partners—"

Logan wrapped his arm around Quinn's shoulder and stole a quick glance around the room clearly marking his territory. That super smart brain was his and only his.

"—you can't pick the partners you want."

"WHAT!?" A simultaneous yell came from everyone in the class. What was he thinking? Mr. Pentlatski always allowed the students to pick their own partners. The kids always paired up with their closest friends and the losers got stuck with their fellow losers. That was tradition! How could he break that up?

"Well," he began, "every time I've noticed a pattern: girlfriends, boyfriends, and best friends would pair up, leaving out poor Heimlich Fraudenburger."

Logan was outraged! He was going to kill Heimlich Fraudenburger.

"Wait, who's Heimlich Fraudenburger?"

"The new foreign exchange student that smells like cheese," answered Quinn followed by a point of the finger to the only one-person table at the back of the room. Everyone in the class turned to give the ever chilling group glare at Heimlich, who was heavily enjoying a plate of cheese—cubed form.

"What?" he said partly incoherent because of the mess of cheese sticking to the roof of his mouth.

"So," continued Mr. Pentlatski, "to decide who gets hooked with whom, we'll do what me and the fam used to do down under: pick names outta a hat!" He held up a huge random sombrero. "You have two minutes." It was a good thing the teacher put on his head phones and started relaxing to "Sounds of the Outback Vol. 5" or else he would have heard the rude language said to him.

Logan turned to Quinn with an evident scowl on his features. "Stupid Pentrof—Pentak—Tamponski—"

"_Pentlatski_," Quinn corrected. It's funny; they've been in Mr. Pentlatski's class for about a month and a half—he's even been Logan's personal tutor for a week—but he still could not pronounce his name correctly to save his life.

"Whatever. It's not our fault that cheese boy is a social outcast."

"So," she sighed, "what are we going to do?"

Logan pulled out his cell phone.

"Besides stare at your gorgeous reflection," she groaned.

"Shh…it helps me think," he began chanting to himself, "Come on Logan, and think. You're awesome, you can do this." He needed Quinn—not just wanted—but _needed_ Quinn to be his partner. Not only was he borderline passing this class, but Quinn was the only person that could actually teach things to him and make him realize that learning can actually be fun (sometimes).

"Well, you better hurry, we have a short time left."

Logan furrowed his eyebrows then smiled. Not only was that looking sexy on him, but he stirred up the perfect idea. "Got it!" He turned toward his girlfriend and reached forward and grabbed her green girly science notebook.

"Hey! What are you doing?"

He ripped a piece of her notebook paper off.

"Look: I'll write _my_ name on this green paper," he applied his sloppy yet attractive script to the torn paper, "All the rest will be plain white, duh, so you'll definitely know to pick me. It'll stand out, kinda just like I do on a daily basis."

Quinn's inquisitive look turned into sheer excitement. "Excellent! But wait; what about _my_ name? How will you know to pick me if you go first?"

Logan took a gander around quickly. He knew he didn't have long left until Mr. Yapantski or whatever his name is called time. He turned around to notice Stacey Dillson. If he didn't know any better, he would have sworn she was shooting eye daggers at Quinn and notice that she still didn't get over being dumped at last year's prom. Too bad he didn't know any better. He tore a piece of her pink notebook paper without asking (_such a Logan thing to do_).

"Hey!" she objected. Finally her words sounded normal thanks to the windshield of Michael's car.

"Yeah, thanks Dillson," and Logan turned back around. "Here," he started, "I'll write your name on this pink piece of paper so I'll know to pick you."

Quinn was impressed. Smiling with relief that she didn't have to have someone horrible as a partner, she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "You're a genius!"

"Tell me something I don't know."

"The value of pi is 3.141592653589…"

Logan abruptly shielded his ears with the palms of his hands. "Okay! Okay! Brain cramp!"

Suddenly, Mr. Pentlatski rose and removed his headphones.

"Okeedokee class, my CD won't stop skipping so it's time to turn in those slips!"

Each table went down the isle one by one to place their destinies in the sombrero. Mr. Pentlatski picked it up once everyone was done and said to the class, "Alrighty then, mates. Everyone come up one by one and pick your mates!"

Mary-Anne Stewart was the first one up, then Tyler Peterson, then Drew Alhart. Quinn couldn't help but notice that all of them occupied a slightly smug look on their face then when they sat down, it shifted to looks of dismay. The line continued, and so far no one was happy with their partners. Quinn prayed that this all was just a horrible coincidence and that she and Logan would be the exceptions. It was now Logan's turn, so he gave Quinn a quick wink before he went up.

"Logan," greeted Mr. Pentlatski as he approached the front of the room.

"Mr. Pataki," he greeted back.

Logan didn't notice the very confused look he was given and peeked in the hat, looking for the pink slip that belonged to his girlfriend.

He peeked again.

And again

And again

WTF??

"Today, please, Mr. Reese."

Logan was outraged. How could this happen? He worked out everything perfectly! Angrily, he picked a piece of stupid paper and stupidly marched back to his stupid seat.

Quinn quickly noticed his troubled stare.

"What's wrong?"

"Go see for yourself," he growled. Quinn looked at his hand. Well, his slip was pink, he got her, and so what was the problem?

Quinn rose and walked towards the sombrero. She peeked inside.

She peeked again.

And again

And again

WTF??

"Hurry please, Ms. Pensky, other students are waiting," but to be honest, they could care less.

"…certainly…" her voice dropped. _What happened?_ She picked a piece of stupid paper and stupidly marched back to her stupid seat. As soon as she sat down she turned to Logan.

"What the heck!? They're _all_ green and pink!"

"Yeah, ya think?" Logan rolled his eyes.

"How could everyone in the class have the same plan as you?"

"I don't know," Logan stood on up and shouted accusingly to the class, "but you guys stole my idea!" Quinn pulled him down in slight embarrassment.

"Okay, just shut up and show me who you got."

"Why don't you shut up and show me who you got?"

"No you"

"No you"

"No you"

"No you—look, just why don't we switch and read each others?"

"Okay…" She gave him her paper and he gave her his. They started counting down alternately.

"Three"

"Two"

"One!"

Quinn read it.

Logan read it.

Both could not believe it.

"MARK DELFIGGILO??" shouted Logan.

"MANDY FRANKLIN??" shouted Quinn.

Both of their cries would have been a major disruption of the class, but considering the fact that practically everyone was yelling and complaining about their partners, no one really noticed.

"What force could possibly make you pick Delfiggilo!?" Logan shouted again. The ex-boyfriend; how horribly cliché.

"I don't know," Quinn shot back, "Maybe the same force that made you pick Make-Out Mandy!"

Logan was insulted. "Oh, so you don't trust me!? What do you think, I'm just gonna get all rapped up and make-out with her first chance I get?"

"Well, her name is MAKE-OUT MANDY so yeah, that's kinda what's going through my head right now!"

"Well, since we're on the subject of nontrust—"

"Mistrust"

"Whatever—please explain how I should trust you with Delfiggilo, seeing as how he's what? Oh yeah, your EX-BOYFRIEND!?"

"Alrighty, class, hold your kangaroo shoes. The partners have been chosen and there's no going back. Don't you love Democracy? The project is due in…uh…let's say three weeks? Now off to some educational business. We last left off on chapter three…"

Even though the class settled back in their usual routine, there was a gloomy stillness in the air. The table of the couple was silent for a long while. Usually Quinn and Logan would either play footsies under the table of a game of tic-tac-toe. Quinn already took Physics over the summer learning course since Science Camp was over, but she was doing it again just because she had a free elective and didn't know what to do with it. And Logan was just…well you know…Logan; goofing off, getting distracted was his thing. Besides, he always had his hot and super smart girlfriend to summarize everything in class to him afterward. But right now, his hot and super smart girlfriend wouldn't even give him a passer's glance. He knew his conscience said he should apologize for raising his voice and making her upset, but his jerk-side was like "Hey, she rose hers first saying how she doesn't trust me just because I unknowingly picked a girl who just happened to be named Make-Out Mandy. She hasn't even made out with a lot of guys…okay, yeah, she has, but that's beside the point." Logan pushed that side down. Because of Quinn he was learning there were times when being a jerk was not appreciated or wanted. See, that's just it. _Quinn_ made him realize that, not anyone else. He's _hers_ now and she should trust how much he loves her, not accusing him of cheating on her any chance he gets.

_Wait a minute…_

Logan officially had a weird moment. It consisted of him feeling guilty and realizing that he said those same accusing things about her and Mark.

_Whoa…I think I just grew up a little bit, today._

Logan came to the conclusion that he didn't want to fight. Besides, angry Quinn meant no make-out session, and no make-out session meant a very sad Logan. He reached in his pocket and grabbed his cell phone. With the push of some tiny buttons the text was ready.

Quinn jerked up. At first she thought it was her shockwatch malfunctioning but it just turned out to be her phone vibrating. She curiously reached into her pocket and grabbed the yellow cellular device. It said she got a text message. Hm…she began reading.

**NEW TXT**

--

Im srry. I trust u. Forgive me?

--

**Received: 8:09 AM**

**From: Logan**

Quinn could not hide her smile. She also couldn't hide the fact that her anger was stupid. It was known to all her friends that she was slightly defensive and a bit self-conscious, but every time she was around Logan that intensified ten fold. He was truly great—overly self-centered but great nonetheless; there was no hiding his attraction and attention from the opposite sex. It was easy for any girl to get wrapped up in those gorgeous eyes of his. This one side of her kept on reminding her of all the reasons they were so different, but this other side kept reminding her of all the reasons she loved him, and all the ways he showed her he loved her, too. They knew from day one that their relationship was crazy, but one thing they both could agree on was that they couldn't stay away. Everyone was self-conscious, but it was up to her to let that go and fight for the arrogant boy she loved, even if that meant kicking Mandy Franklin's butt. She replied to his message and pressed the green send button.

Logan already had his phone in his hand when he received his text. He gulped. Was it a good response or a bad one? Knowing Quinn, he wouldn't be surprised if it was the opposite of what he expected. He sucked in his gut (_or should I say six-pack_) and opened his phone.

**NEW TXT**

--

No, I'm sorry. You're an excellent boyfriend, I should've trusted you. Forgive ME?

--

**Received: 8:10 AM**

**From: Quinn**

Logan smiled. Phew, he was off the hook.

Quinn felt another vibration which signaled another new text. She opened her phone eagerly wondering what Logan's reply would be.

**NEW TXT**

--

How could I be mad at the most beautiful smart girl in the world? Don't worry, Mandy has nothing on u.

--

**Received: 8:11 AM**

**From Logan**

Quinn beamed and sent another text.

Logan opened his phone before it had a chance to go off.

**NEW TXT**

--

And Mark has nothing on you

--

**Received: 8:12 AM**

**From: Quinn**

Quinn received one last text from Logan.

**NEW TXT**

--

O trust me I know

--

**Received: 8:13 Am**

**From: Logan**

She placed down her phone and looked up to see her beautiful and amazing boyfriend smiling back at her.

"You're amazing," she whispered.

He continued smiling that adorable smile that made Quinn's heart melt and grabbed her hand from under the table. He placed a light kiss on every knuckle which visibly sent shivers all through her spine.

Oh, yeah, he was _so_ in.

* * *

Mark Delfiggilo—when he wasn't staring at nothing—glanced back at his pink unfolded paper.

Quinn Pensky

Hm. He got Quinn. That was…hm, he guessed. He looked ahead to find her working on some bookwork with Logan since Mr. Pentlatski was finished with his lesson for the day (and secretly wanting to finish listening to his Sounds of the Outback). Logan's arm was securely around her waist, and they smiled back at each other every so often. Right before he turned to look away, she placed a light kiss on his cheek. Hm. He and Quinn never showed that much PDA. Hm. He could've been angry, anxious, or happy that he got to work on a three-week project with his ex-girlfriend of two years, but he just thought it was…hm. HM!

Gosh, no wonder Brooke dumped him.

* * *

Mandy Franklin, while turning her bleach blonde hair around her index finger, popped her gum out of her mouth and stuck it to the back of her Physics book. She picked up her green slip and read the name again.

Logan Reese

The hot—yet kind of rude and obnoxious—guy on the basketball team. Not to mention hot. The fact that he has a girlfriend completely escaped her mind.

"Hm…this could be fun!"

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading if you got this far! Now, before I go on, please tell me if you like these length of chapters because this is what I imagine the average length to be. You can either have long chapters, many events with not so fast updates or shorter chapters, one or two events, and faster updates: up to you! I've never ever traveled to Australia so had to research some of the lingo. This isn't the last time you'll see Mr. Pentlatski so if you have any suggestions on type of things he should say, feel free to tell me. You'll have some Zoey and Chase fluff next chapter, and the only way you'll learn what's gonna happen to everyone is if you review and stick for more!**


	2. A Necklace for Your Thoughts

**A/N: Yes, chappie two is here; I updated faster than I thought. But then again this story is gonna be really long so I guess that's a good thing. Besides, that's just more good news for you people. I just have to thank you all for my awesome reviews for chapter one; I was "squee"-ing for like five minutes straight. I specially have to thank and PnayBabyGurl:you guys' review made me double squee. I love every review I get, but I especially love reviews that tell or quote things they like about the story and comment on things I should improve on. All also have to thank maximumfan; I'd so love to see that Australian lingo (yeah, I totally made up kangaroo shoes). I changed the spelling of Delfiggilo to DelFigello because I'm pretty sure I was spelling it wrong before. Well, seeing as how this chapter's a bit longer than the first, I'm gonna say bye-bye for now.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Zoey101: I could bribe Dan Schneider with my life savings so he could hand over the rights to me, but unfortunately that's only fifteen dollars and thirty-three cents. **

* * *

"Okay, would you rather…be farted in the face by a pregnant orangutan or be forced to eat 1 million marshmallows in an hour?" Zoey asked snacking on a grape. She and Chase were the first ones at their usual lunch table waiting for their friends. But secretly, they enjoyed their time alone.

Chase thought pensively while stroking his chin. "Hm…definitely farted on by the monkey; those marshmallows would go straight to my thighs."

Zoey laughed so hard she almost choked on her fruit.

"You know," as soon she regained control, "we haven't done this in a long time."

He raised an eyebrow and held on to those brown eyes with a stare. "You know what else we haven't done in a long time?"

He leaned across the table and graced her lips with a chaste kiss. He released soon, mirroring Zoey's smile.

"Only if you consider ten minutes ago a long time," she playfully answered.

"Well, in dog years that's about seventeen hours."

"No, it's not."

"I know." He chuckled then they dazed at each other and kissed once more. Chase cradled her cheeks while she gently marveled at his crazy, bushy mane. It's been so blissful between the two since last year's prom. Every emotion they've ever had for each other was bottled up for so long, and even though they've been with each other the whole summer, they still had so much more of it to release. In Maui it truly felt like a summer romance—sun bathing near the ocean, sun _burning_ near the ocean, and romantic dinners by candlelight while watching the latest episode of Girly Cow—and even though ordinary summer romances always come to an abrupt end, Zoey and Chase was no ordinary couple. Nothing could ever sever the feelings they had for one another.

"Um, hello? You're blocking the ketchup!"

Zoey and Chase pulled abruptly pulled apart and leaned back in their seats. They turned to notice an annoyed friend now sitting between them.

"Lola? When did you get here?"

"Oh," she looked at her wrist, "about eight seconds after you guys started ripping each other's face off with your lips."

Zoey blushed. Chase was a bit embarrassed but easily hid it with his sarcasm (_a classic Chase Matthews move_).

"Ha ha ha. You're not even wearing a watch; what a cheap form of physical comedy."

"Ketchup please," she repeated. Zoey willingly obliged and grabbed the ketchup, but instead of putting it on her fries, she squirted a whole bunch of it in her Blix bottle. Chase laughed; Lola was shocked. She watched speechless as Zoey closed the cap and shook it. She placed down the ketchuppy artificially flavored soft drink with a very satisfied smile.

"Wh…wha—what was that for!?"

"_That_ was for keeping me and Quinn up until three in the morning with your stupid East Asian furniture arrangements."

"Oh, yeah… Well, it bores me now so I'm done with it. But hey! I learned a big word because of it."

"What's that?" asked Chase.

"Spiritual Equilibrium"

"…But that's two words."

Lola snacked on a French fry. "Speaking of spiritual equilibrium, Michael wasn't in first period today, but I saw him go to his second period class."

"…But that has nothing to do with spiritual equilibrium."

"Why wasn't he there, did he skip?" Zoey asked with concern ignoring Chase's comment.

"Speaking of skipping," chided in Vince Blake now walking toward the table. He kissed his girlfriend on the cheek before continuing. "Did you here Lisa's moving to New Hampshire today?"

"But that has nothing to do with skipping!" yelled Chase. What was up with people and their false word associations?

Zoey gasped (again ignoring her boyfriend's cry of confusion). "She had to have told Michael this before anyone else… That's why he must have been screaming this morning!"

"And why he wasn't in class," continued Lola.

"Wait," interrupted Vince, "He's going all crazy and skipping class just because his girlfriend's moving?"

"That is a very Michael-thing to do," reminded Chase.

"Would you act all crazy and skip class if I moved?" Lola asked Vince very coyly with big puppy dog eyes. Vince pondered the question and tapped his chin.

"Well, I guess it depends…but I'm not much of a screamer." Lola gasped. How hurtful!

Vince smiled in reassurance and kissed her on the cheek again. "I'm just kiddin', hot stuff. Look, I gotta go get lunch but I'll check you guys later." Vince took a glance near Lola's tray to notice something very refreshing. "Ooh, Blix, I'm parched."

Lola, Zoey, and Chase all stared at each other wide-eyed before turning back to Vince, who grabbed the bottle. "Wait, Vince stop!" They all yelled in unison, but it was useless; Vince was already walking away juggling the bottle of ketchup flavored Blix in his hands.

Lola cringed. "Oh, great, now I have to deal with a football player with an incredibly upset stomach later on."

"Sucks for you," said Chase. Lola whacked him in the head with a French fry.

Zoey, however, was still hung up about Michael and just couldn't let it go. "Poor Michael; his girlfriend is moving across the country and he might not ever see her again."

"That's a bit pessimistic don't you think, Zo?" asked Chase.

"Well," Lola added in, "she might have a point. New Hampshire is a million…thousand…well, a lot of miles away. It's senior year; maybe it won't work out between them…" She paused in contemplation then glanced back between Chase and Zoey. "But then again, it _did_ work out for you two, and Chase was across the _ocean_."

Zoey looked at Chase.

Chase looked at Zoey.

Zoey smiled at Chase.

Chase smiled at Zoey.

Zoey kissed Chase.

Chase kissed Zoey.

God, how they loved each other.

"Oh, come on! Ew!" Lola groaned and chomped down on another French fry.

"Hey guys!"

"Yeah, what's up?" Logan and Quinn finally met up at their lunch table and greeted their friends.

"Well, Quinn and Logan, I would greet you back but I can't, see as how Mr. and Mrs. McLovin over here is IN MY WAY."

That was obviously Zoey and Chase's cue to separate. They lightly chuckled and continued with their lunch.

"Get a room," teased Logan.

"Well, I have a room," replied Chase, "but instead of sharing it with the girl of my dreams I share it with two nimrods."

"What's a _nimrod_?"

"Aw," cooed Zoey, "I'm the girl of your dreams?"

"You know it."

"Aw!" They were lunging for each other again until Lola blocked their path with her hand.

"Five minutes!" she yelled. "Five minutes is all I ask!"

Quinn laughed. She thought it was cute that Chase and Zoey could finally openly express their feelings, but obviously her other friends considered it insanely annoying.

"So," she started, "what's been up besides all the lovey dovey moments?"

"Did you hear?" Chase began with the formerly discussed topic. "Lisa's leaving PCA so she and Michael are breaking up."

Quinn gasped. Lisa? The girl that Michael was attached to by the hip? The girl that haunted his every dream (he should know; she performed a dream analysis on him for a science experiment a couple of weeks ago)? _That_ Lisa was moving away from him?

"Break up? But Michaels' crazy for that girl—"

"—literally," Logan interrupted.

"What is he going to do?" The whole screaming incident was all starting to make sense to her now.

"We don't know," worried Zoey. This too much reminded her of the last year situation with Chase. They were apart for so long. It really did hurt her indescribably, and even though she tried to ignore that, sidetrack every conversation centered on Chase, and neglect every object that reminded her of him, no distractions could ever make her let Chase go. But the difference was she realized her feelings and got Chase in the end, and Michael may not get Lisa in the end.

"I wouldn't worry so—" Lola was stopped by the vibration of her Lazor Phone. She reached in her bag for her cell then opened it to read the lighted screen.

"What's that?" asked Logan.

"Oh, it's a text from Mandy Franklin. She wants me to let her borrow my History notes."

"Wait, isn't that Make-Out Mandy?" Chase asked.

Logan chuckled, "Yeah—Hey, guess what? For Physics we have this project thing, and Mandy's the girl I'm paired up with."

"Oh, really dude, that's sweet—"

SNAP!

Everyone at the table turned to Quinn who stabbed her fork in her macaroni so hard the plastic spork broke in half. Logan gulped. _Crap!_

"Um, I know the macaroni's a little bland but geesh," commented Chase.

"Uh, Quinn, is there something wrong?"

She threw Logan a quick glare before turning back to Zoey. She was happy. She was content. She was satisfied with the fact that she could relax without having to hear the words "Mandy" "Franklin" or "Make-Out" in her presence. Now, having Lola not just bring up her name but Logan influencing the dreadful conversation really overcooked her grits (_lol I know that expression is really cheesy but I always wanted to say that!_). "Oh, no I'm fine, but won't you, Lola, tell Mandy how much Logan is looking forward to being his project partner. Really, he's ecstatic." She ended sourly.

"O…kay…" Lola started typing words but was stopped when Zoey closed her phone.

"Lola, no." Apparently Lola didn't realize Quinn was just kidding. Or was she?

Logan shot her a glare back. What did he do? Okay, he knew what he did but why was that so harmful? He just brought it up as a casual conversation with his buddy. He thought they were over this! Well, she was NOT going to make him look like a fool. No one made Logan Reese look like a fool…besides him.

He turned to Chase. "Hey Chase?"

"Yeah?" Chase could sense there was some trouble brewing.

"Don't you have next period with DelFigello?"

"Yeah."

"Well, won't you please mention to him how eager Quinn is to be working with him for the next three weeks and how she misses him _sooo_ much."

"Oh, please," Quinn addressed him directly, "don't start with that!"

"Me? _You_ started it first with how I'm so thrilled to see Mandy Franklin!"

"Oh, so you admit it!"

"What? No—"

"But you just—"

_And so it began…_

Zoey, Lola, and Chase just stared at each other in confusion as the couple continued to fight over…something.

"This is so like you, Logan. Like the time you let that Samantha Prater share your _personal_ information."

"She was interviewing me for the basketball team!"

"But I'm sure _she_ didn't think of it that way…"

It continued like this, but then all of a sudden—literally out of nowhere—

"DO YOU WANT TO MAKE-OUT WITH ME AS MUCH AS I WANT TO MAKE-OUT WITH YOU?"

"OF COURSE, I THOUGHT YOU'D NEVER ASK!"

And in a flash, they were gone, knocking over students with their weird sudden making out urges.

Lola frustratingly massaged her temples. If she had to witness public display of affection from her friends one more time, she was going to cut off all of her eyelashes!

"Hey," hinted Chase to Zoey, "I think they're on to something."

"Ooh," she smiled, "just what are you thinking, handsome—"

"UGH!!"

The couple turned to Lola who grabbed her tray and angrily stomped away.

"Where are you going?" they asked.

"TO FIND SOME SCISSORS!" and she was gone.

It only took three seconds for the pair to burst out in laughter. Their spontaneous and cunning plan worked!

"Man, don't you love messing with her?" Chase took a drink of his orange Blix.

"So love it. Now she knows how we feel when we have to sit and watch her and Vince all "kissy-kissy-goo-goo"."

"Exactly. Please promise me that we won't get all obsessed like that."

"Now matter how much I love your bushy head?"

"Now matter how much you love my bushy—hey! My hair has feelings, too."

"I wouldn't doubt that. Your hair's so huge it probably took control of your entire brain thus manipulating your every emotion."

"You know, I should really take back that science fiction novel I let you read."

Zoey snacked on her last grape. "Too late, I'm hooked."

* * *

It was finally after school and Logan and Quinn were relaxing in the boys' lounge. Quinn sat happily in Logan's lap as she snacked on a yogurt cup. Logan kept sticking his finger in the Strawberry Delight getting tiny tastes. They were extremely content enjoying each other's presence—almost as if they didn't want to bite each other's heads off a few hours ago.

"I could so make better yogurt," said Logan with clear displeasure of the strawberry mixture.

"Oh yeah, I highly doubt that." Quinn swallowed another spoonful.

"Well, little miss missy, I see you have some yogurt on your glasses."

"Really? Where?" she squinted in hopes of seeing what he was talking about.

"Here, let me get that." He reached to take her glasses. She was expecting for him to wipe them with the end of his shirt and give them back, but he gave her a sneaky smile and raised them above her reach.

"And _I_ highly doubt that you'll get these back." He waved them back and forth with that same smug smile.

"Hey," she tried to make her voice sound infuriated but instead it came out in comfortable laughs, "give them back!"

"Oh no, I don't think so." Logan couldn't help but laugh at her false-anger. How adorable.

"I mean it, Reese."

"So do I, Pensky."

"If you don't give them back in five seconds—"

"You'll what?"

She started to trail her fingers along his sleeveless arm toward his shoulder. "Well, I just happen to know a certain pressure point located right in the—"

Before she could finish her threat, her glasses were already placed correctly on her face accompanied by a light kissed on the nose. They both started laughing again.

"Why do we always find stupid reasons to fight?" asked Quinn as her laughing started to quiet down.

Logan was about to answer with "so we can find stupid reasons to make-out" but was halted with the sight of Mark DelFigello walking into the lounge. Almost instantaneously his happiness flushed out of his body and was replaced with disappointment and annoyance.

Logan answered her question. "Maybe it has something to do with that guy."

Quinn immediately noticed the drop in his voice, and the stiffness of his figure. Was there something wrong? She turned her head to notice Mark give a quick greeting to a red-haired kid then make his way over. She sighed. She didn't hate Mark, honestly she didn't, but darn him for ruining Logan's finally happy disposition! That's when she remembered about their Physics project. He probably was coming to discuss it with her, and that wasn't bad at all. Quinn had so many amazing ideas that would probably win her a Nobel Prize let alone an A in Physics. She hopped down from Logan's lap and gave him a caveat stare.

"Be nice," she warned.

Logan rolled his eyes and opened his mouth for a really snappy remark but thought twice and held it in. Despite the many insults he was throwing DelFigello in his mind that could easily escape, Quinn's feelings mattered more to him than anything, and he knew that would hurt her if he fully expressed his opinion about him (_why_ that would hurt her still made him confused and a bit uneasy, to be honest…). He sucked in his breath as Mark approached the two and offered a casual greeting.

"Hey, Quinn…Logan."

"Hello, Mark," smiled Quinn. Mark took a quick inspection of her. Her usual brunette curls were accompanied with a green and white head band. She had on a spaghetti-strapped green light-sequined top, dark blue skinny jeans and a bag over her right shoulder. He never really noticed before how different she looked this year. She was more…hm…

"DelFigello." Quinn shot Logan a quick glower that fortunately only he noticed. "What?" he mouthed.

"So, we have a project…" started Mark.

"Yeah," agreed Quinn.

"…for Physics…"

"Yeah,"

"…about Physics stuff…"

"Yeah," Quinn couldn't help but become a bit annoyed.

"…with each other…"

Logan rose. Someone was getting a little too close for comfort: Logan's comfort. "Just what are you saying, _Mark_?"

"I'm saying that we have a project…for Physics…about Physics stuff…with each—"

"OKAY!" interrupted Quinn, "Mark, I've already wrote down some ideas in my bag. I'm ready to start whenever you are."

"…How about now?"

"NO!" Both turned to Logan's outcry. Mark gave a questioning look while Quinn's glare became more distinct. He tried to cover himself. There was no way he was going to let stupid DelFigello steal his girlfriend away from him now. He was enjoying her company way to much; he liked the escape he always got with her didn't want his moment ruined by reality. "Um, remember Quinn? You have to help me study for Mr. Pancake's test."

"It's _Pentlatski_ and his test isn't for another four and a half weeks."

"Yeah, but…I really need the grade so I really need to study. Sorry Mark, come by later, okay?"

Mark was confused. Was he going to use his protractor or not?

Quinn smiled apologetically at him. "Um, excuse us Mark."

"Yeah, excuse us, DelFigello." Quinn gave him yet another intensifying glare and dragged him to the corner.

"You know," teased Logan, "if you glare like that too much your eyes will get stuck like that."

"What is your problem!?" she whispered.

"What do you mean, I didn't do anything."

Quinn heaved a deep sigh. She really did not want to argue with Logan again; she loved him too much (despite his stupidity and child-like behavior). "Look, we'll be in the PCA library for only two hours—"

"One hour"

"One hour and thirty minutes—"

"Ten minutes"

"One hour and fifteen minutes and that's my final offer."

Logan also heaved a deep sigh. He didn't want to fight with her, either. There was never a project that Quinn did not start early and finish early; Logan didn't dare disrupt that pattern. And besides, even though she was extremely attractive with the way her nose flared when she was mad, he loved it even more when he could make her smile. With this DelFigello situation, he would agree against his feelings just to make her smile…for now.

"Alright," he whispered. "Take as long as you need; I'll be fine."

Quinn blinked. Was he seriously backing down and obliging to her? "Really?"

"Really. My whole life doesn't revolve around you, you know."

"Yes it does."

"Yeah, whatever" There was no use lying, especially to her. Let's all face it; his whole UNIVERSE revolved around Quinn. She smiled in gratitude and turned back to Mark.

"Well, Mark I'm ready. Let's go to the Library. I have these excellent floor plans online of a medieval catapult but they need a little—"

"Hold up a second." Logan artlessly grabbed Quinn by the arm and spun her around to crash his lips into hers in a _very_ sumptuous kiss. His arms traced her silhouette admirably and tailed to her neck then up to gently cradle her cheeks. He pressed into her lips, and with the brief sensation of his tongue tracing her bottom lip, she subconsciously opened and kissed him back with equal force. She didn't know what or why he was doing this, but her mind was too clouded and hazy to object.

Mark coughed. Not even a slap in the face could make him feel more awkward and out of place than he felt now.

About forty-five seconds later, Logan finally decided she needed air and broke apart. He laughed at her askew glasses and carefully readjusted them. All the while Quinn's breathing sped up and her heart busted out of her chest. Yep, with that kiss there was no way she would have anyone else _but_ Logan on her mind.

Logan turned to Mark. "Alright, DelFigello, she's free to go." He gave her a light push forward. Quinn, still slightly dizzy, staggered as she reached for her backpack and gave Logan one last look before heading out the door. Logan laughed as he watched her leave; with that walk there was no way she would pass a drunk driver's test.

* * *

"Hey, Zo, look at my new shoes!" Lola used the floor of their dorm room as a runway and modeled them for her roommate. They were black and red cowboy boots with bejeweled silver rhinestones along the heel and toe. She struck a pose then stopped.

Zoey hopped down from her bed after repositioning her picture (for the thousandth time) and inspected her shoes. "Ooh, cute."

"Aren't they?"

"Yeah…you know if you like the whole overly-bejeweled look."

Lola froze. "What?"

"Well…according to Buzz Magazine, bejeweled boots have been rated officially out-of-season."

That certainly raised her embarrassment level up a notch. "Alright," Lola sunk into her pink beanbag chair and began tugging off her shoes. There was no way she was going to be caught dead in last season's boots. She would be the laughing stock of her mind. "These babies are going in the closet."

"Why don't you just return them?"

"This is why," she lifted up the bottom of the left boot to reveal three different colors of bubble gum. From the looks of it they were waaay stuck in there.

"Ew."

"Yeah, I know." She grabbed them as if they were contaminated with the most reeking dog doo and walked to the closet. Zoey shrugged and turned back to her picture—WHICH WAS STILL CROOKED!—but was jolted by the sound of an earthquake in her room. She turned around to find the sound coming from the closest.

"Lola?" she called. "What happened?"

"Purse avalanche! Purse avalanche!" Her voice was muffled so that had to be true. Zoey ran to the closest to see a mountain of Virolang and Danicci (_totally made up by the way_) crushing a very exasperated Lola.

"No kidding…here, let me help you," she found a waving hand underneath a handbag and pulled. About ten seconds later Lola was free and gasping for air. "Okay, I may be a shopoholic but there's no way all of those are mine!"

"Nope, they're mine. It's my purse collection I've started ever since the sixth grade when my mom got me the Cerci bag I was dying for."

"Collection? More like a museum!" she glanced over the area to admire the millions of trendy bags covering the floor when she spotted something gold and sparkling extremely well against the light from their lamp. "Do you have a pot of gold in here, too?" Zoey gave her a quizzical brow as Lola bent down to grab what she saw. Both gasped in bewilderment at the gold beautiful piece of jewelry that now lay in her hands.

"JAMES' NECKLACE!?" cried Lola.

Zoey's eyes were so huge she was afraid they would pop out of her head. She couldn't understand why all of a sudden her heart rate increased a thousand times more than before. Maybe it was because it was the first time in five months that his name was spoken. Maybe it was because she was staring at the necklace that said "I LOVE YOU, JAMES" from her EX-BOYFRIEND. Yeah, it was definitely one of those two. She was…shocked…astonished…terrified…all too many thoughts and emotions running through her brain at once, suffocating her mind in those three tiny seconds. Fortunately Lola didn't give her a chance to talk.

"What are you doing here!? Why are you in this closet!? Didn't Zoey give you back to James after prom last year!? Why does she still have you after so long!?" She was so flustered she didn't realize she was talking to an inanimate object.

"Um, Lola…" Zoey managed to say.

Lola looked back and forth between Zoey and her hand. "Oh." She regained her sense and immediately started attacking the right person.

"What is this doing here!? Why is it in this closet!? Didn't you give it back to James after prom last year!? Why do you still have it after so long!?" Right now Lola was showing way more emotion than Zoey was. She couldn't believe this! After so long—what, five months—Zoey still kept James' necklace and never said a word—the necklace which was a token of her ex-boyfriend's affection, the necklace which was symbolism for his love. All the time Zoey's been reuniting with her beloved Chase Matthews, soaking up sun in her romantic Maui getaway, and annoying one of her best friends at lunch with her love struck attitude, this beautiful gold necklace was with her, mocking her and Chase's relationship in a Virolang bag. Wait—was that the reason she was keeping this? Why she never returned it to James? Did she not love Chase anymore? Was she secretly holding on to James, silently wishing that she could see him and be with him again?

"Lola, I—" but she didn't give Zoey a chance to talk, for she was attacking her again.

"Wait…that's it isn't it?"

"What's it?"

"That!"

"What?"

"Ha! Oh my gosh, I can't believe this…"

"Believe what!?"

"You know in my head I'm right."

"…Lola, I don't know if you know this but…I CAN'T READ MINDS!"

"Oh…yeah, sorry…but what I'm thinking is that you've kept this necklace because your heart has been lingering away from Chase, and you secretly wish to see James again thus keeping the necklace as part of a plot to kill Chase and hop on a plane to reunite with your ex-lover."

Zoey may have been extremely confused at this moment, but she wasn't nuts. She gave Lola her famous "you-can't-be-serious" stare. "You've been watching too many soap operas lately."

"I know I have but you know I'm right about you keeping this thing because you miss James, and your heart is lingering away from Chase."

"UGH!" Zoey walked over to her bed, grabbed her big yellow pillow, and walked back over to Lola. Without any warning she bopped her on the head with the cotton-filled weapon. "My heart is NOT lingering away from Chase. He's my boyfriend; you know how I feel about him!"

"Or do I?"

Zoey bopped her twice.

"Okay, okay, I know you're right about Chase. But: do you still miss James?"

"NO," but Zoey let go of the pillow and thought. "…I mean, not really…I mean…maybe a little but not like that…" God, Zoey's brain hurt. This was the first time she's thought of this question, yet alone having it being addressed to her directly. After prom last year everyone was still wired on the news about Chase being back, and Logan and Quinn confessing their love for each other, and Stacey Dilson magically losing her lisp; none of her friends ever mentioned James at all. The next day they heard from Dean Rivers that he took an early release from school "to visit his sick grandfather", but it was only until the first week of their senior year that she heard word around campus he wasn't coming back. Now that she was reflecting on it, she never realized how curious she was as to why he wasn't coming back. Was it because of her? Was it because of her friends? She guessed she suppressed her worry about him for so long over other things—especially having Chase back in her life—but it never dawned on her until now that…maybe…she did miss James Garrett.

"But," Lola interrupted her train of thought, "does that explain why you've kept his necklace?"

"I was going to return it to him, the night of prom…but to be honest I didn't think he'd want to see me let alone make him take his necklace back. All of you guys knew there was something wrong with me then, and for those couple of hours I was trying to find out what. Then…I got that phone call from Chase and…" Zoey stopped and replayed the events in her mind of that life-changing moment. The romantic-ness of the surprise was a tad ruined with his fall down the stairs, but all of that disappeared when he gazed at her with those big, almond eyes she loved. He injured his arm during the fall, and what first started as a concern inspection ended up a heated kiss which released every emotion she had bottled up inside since the first moment she saw him.

"…and the rest is all history," Lola finished.

"A-anyway," Zoey shook out of her memory, "I kept James' necklace in one of those purses and I _honestly_ didn't remember I put it there until now."

Lola nodded her head. She knew Zoey was telling the truth; there was no way the Zoey Brooks she knew would lie about something so serious. But still…just to be sure…

"So, how do you feel about Chase now?"

Zoey smiled while releasing a deep sigh. Finally a question she didn't have to think about. "The same way I've felt five weeks ago; the same way I've felt five days ago; the same way I've felt five minutes ago; the same way I've felt five seconds ago."

Lola thought. "…So that's a 'yes' to the question 'Do you still care about him'."

Zoey's smile widened. "That's a definite yes!"

Lola felt like mentally slapping herself. How could she even think for a second that Zoey's and Chase's relationship was in danger? They were like the star couple of PCA (well, besides and her hot boyfriend Vince Blake) and cared more for each other than for themselves. Chase would literally kiss the ground she walked on if she asked him to, and knowing that Zoey would never ask him to just showed how much respect and love she had for him. If she knew anything, she knew that nothing—even a dinky necklace from Zoey's past—could sever their bond. She gave Zoey an apologetic smile and wrapped her up in a bare hug.

"I'm sorry for acting all crazy and jumping to conclusions."

Zoey gladly accepted her apology. "You know you're famous for being crazy and jumping to conclusions."

"But that's why you love me."

"That's right."

Lola pulled apart and inspected the jewelry that was still in her hand. "So, what are you going to do with this?"

Zoey made a reach for it but abruptly pulled back her hand. Touching it would be…still too much for her right now. Instead she turned back towards her bed to focus back on her crooked picture on her wall. "Just put it back in the closet. I'll know what to do with it later."

* * *

"Oh crap! Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap! Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap, oh crap, oh crap, oh crap, oh crap!" Chase ran with ultimate speed knocking down chairs, tables, and innocent bystanders. He just had to get to the girls' dorm and fast. The end of the world—and his life—was at risk! He rushed through the doors of Fulton Hall and knocked down some other innocent bystanders until he found room 101.

He burst in the door where Lola was helping Zoey post up a picture near her bed. "Girls! Girls! Girls!"

"What? What? What?"

"You need to help me! My life is at risk!"

"Oh my God!" Lola gasped and hopped down from the bed, bumping into Zoey thus causing her to fall on her butt. She didn't notice the nasty look Zoey gave to her.

"Do you have cancer?" she asked in horror.

"No."

"A tumor?"

"No"

"Glioblastoma multiforme?"

"No—wait I don't even know what that is."

"It's a cancer in the back of the head."

"Oh."

"So do you have it?"

"NO!"

By that time Zoey rose up from her position on the floor and sat in a bean bag chair near Chase. "Look, Lola, he's not literally going to die. That's just Chase talk for he forgot something major and now he's gonna get in serious trouble if he doesn't fix it," she said matter-of-factly.

"Oh…so you're not dying?" She asked Chase.

"Nope, I got a clean bill of health."

"Okay, then, I'm out." She grabbed her bag from her bed and headed for the door.

"Wait," called Zoey, "where are you going?"

"I got a no-longer-sick boyfriend to see. Later!" and she was gone (but secretly she left because she didn't want to give herself the opportunity to spill Zoey's secret).

Chase turned back to Zoey. "Zo, you gotta help me!"

"Okay, okay, tell me what you did."

"Well," he began, "I got an email from my mom congratulating me on the A- I got on my History paper, then she asked me if I remembered my sister Holly's birthday and if I got her anything. That would be all fine and dandy on a regular occasion except this one since I DIDN'T remember her birthday and I DIDN'T get her anything!" he took a deep breath.

"Wait—you have a sister?" after knowing him for four years she still couldn't believe she didn't know he had a sister. As if the James situation didn't make her feel crappy enough.

"Yeah. She's 24, lives in Napa, and married to a guy with a dog named Schlappy but my sister nonetheless. Anyway, her birthday is tomorrow and the last time we talked she promised to kill me if I didn't get her anything."

"Ooh, sibling homicide, we don't want that. Let me guess; you want me to find you something girly that she may like so you can mail it to her, right?"

Chase smiled. She understood him so well. "Well, you are the girliest girl I know."

Zoey laughed and stood up to start inspecting her room. "Well, I got a whole bunch of stuff; what kind of thing is she into?"

"You're the girl—you should know that."

"Uh, _you're_ the brother—you should know that."

"I don't even know if she likes her peanut butter smooth or chunky. Look, I have to MailEx this gift tonight if I want it sent to her on time, so _please_ use that big beautiful fashiony head of yours and find something that'll save my butt."

"Okay, but only because I love your butt." She remembered the incident from earlier—not the confusing finding James' necklace incident but the purse avalanche incident—and went in her closest. Those purses were apart of her seven year collection, but if it was for Chase, she supposed it would be okay to give away just one. "Do you at least know her favorite color?" she asked him.

"Yeah, it's green. Don't ask me for a specific shade of green because I'm not that good."

Zoey found the perfect Danicci bag and threw it to him. "There you go; any girl would love that for a birthday present."

"Yes! Thank-you!" He ran out the door, but within seconds ran back in and kissed Zoey on the cheek. "Call you later, bye!" He then ran back out. Zoey waved goodbye, completely oblivious to the fact that Lola hid James' necklace in that very same bag. _DUH DUH DUUUHHHH_

* * *

**A/N: Whew; two chapters down, five million to go. I really wasn't anticipating this chapter to be so long, but you know how it gets when you're really into your writing and you know you've typed a lot but can't find a good place to end it? Well, that's exactly what happened here. I hope I quenched the thirsts of all Choey lovers. I got so into writing about James, he's sooo gonna stir things up next chapter MWAHAHAHAAA!! For you guys that miss Michael (like me) he'll be in the next chapter which—Oops! I've said too much. (**_**Duck tapes mouth shut**_**)**

**REVIEW**


	3. It's Awkward to Meet Your Aquaintance

**A/N: Sorry for the not-updating-as-fast-as-I-wanted-to thing, but 1) my computer was being retarded and 2) this took me forever to type. I love you guys for reviewing for chapter two. To know that you guys stuck to reading my story and hope for more makes me all warm and fuzzy inside! Seriously, I can't thank you guys enough! Luvya! Okay, A LOT of things happen in this chapter, and yes, Michael is back (I'm glad cause I missed my Mr. Comedy Relief man). Well, my brain hurts right now from all this typing, so I'm gonna stop for now and let you guys read. **

**DISCLAIMER: No, people, I do not own Zoey 101 or any of its characters, even though in my mind I treat them as if they were my little babies. My zany, adorable, slightly insane babies.**

* * *

"Excuse me! Excuse me! Out of my way, please! Coming through!" Chase couldn't get enough of bumping into random students as he ran out of Fulton Hall, through the courtyard and back into Maxwell. He looked at his watch to learn he had…ten minutes and eighteen seconds to get this baby wrapped up and packaged before the MailEx truck left for the night. He was so NOT going to get another merciless beat down from Holly this year if he could help it.

Chase was running so blindly he didn't notice the troubled boy with three huge bags of luggage in front of his face. In an instant the two crashed into each other and hit the ground with a loud THUMP. Chase landed to the left—the boy towards the right. During the crash, Chase's purse slipped out of his hand and landed on one of the boy's red duffle bags—which caused the beautiful necklace to stumble out as well. The boy staggered but was able to rise up before Chase (our poor fuzzy boy had his head smashed with a gym bag). A quick wave of guilt and concern washed over the boy: he hoped he didn't hurt the guy. He rubbed his neck to work out the kinks when he noticed the green Danicci laying near him.

_The guy carries around a purse? That's…not strange at all… _But then he froze. It was not the stylish purse that caught him extremely off-guard; right by his foot rested a stunning gold heart-charmed necklace. A _familiar_ stunning gold heart-charmed necklace. There was a one in a million chance that necklace was what he thought it was, but he was just too curious to let it go. He knelt down and grabbed it by the chain.

His heart stopped.

It couldn't be.

_It is…but how…?_

Before he had time to articulate a coherent thought, the boy with the purse began to rise from his position on the floor. He could've done a lot of logical things with the necklace, but because of his current state of shock, he panicked. He hurriedly stuffed the necklace in his pocket and straightened his clothes. _Act natural_, he repeated over and over in his mind.

"Oh, man," he grabbed one of his hands to help Chase up, "I'm sorry about that. I guess I couldn't see where I was going."

"Oh, no, oh, no, dude I'm sorry," Chase staggered a bit but was overall able to finally stand. He dusted the dirt off his shoulders (_lol like the song_). Instead of taking a first glance at the boy with the entire luggage, he spun around frantically looking for his sister's gift. Oh, crap! He had…nine minutes and four seconds to get it ready!

"Um," he asked, "have you seen my purse, I really—oh, there it is!" he caught the sight of his bag resting on a duffle bag, but it was only after he grabbed it and cradled it did he realize how queer he must have looked (_not that kind of queer_) to passing strangers.

"Oh, uh…t-this isn't _m-my_ purse…" he stuttered in embarrassment. "My girlfriend gave it to me—uh, well, not for _me_, for m-my sister. See, she's 24 lives in Napa and married to a guy with a dog named Schlappy and she's gonna commit sibling homicide if I don't give her a gift which I have to MailEx in…eight minutes and twenty-four seconds and you really don't care at all, do you?"

The boy laughed. "Oh, of course I…okay, no not really." The boy with the purse may have been…strange…but he could tell he was a really nice guy; a really nice guy with incredibly wild hair. That's when it dawned on him. This face…he's seen this face somewhere before. Somewhere…but where?

"Sorry, man, I get caught up like that sometimes." He held out a hand to offer a handshake. "Hi, I'm—"

"_Chase Matthews…_" Of course! He'd never forget that picture of his hair!

Chase gave him a very confused look then turned around to study the area. He wasn't being Punk'd, was he? He turned back to the mysterious boy. "Um, how do you know my name?"

"Oh, right, how rude of me," the boy shook Chase's outstretched hand. "Hi, I'm James Garret." (0.o)

* * *

"Hey, Michael, all my plain white T's (_pun!_) are in the wash, can I borrow one of yours to sleep in?" Logan glanced in Michael's drawer. If he was going to say no, he'd steal one anyway.

"Meh." Michael lied in his top bunk (_Chase got the single this year, yay!_), head suffocated by his pillow with a very dead/apathetic gleam in his eyes. He really had no clue what Logan asked, let alone if he said anything at all.

"Uh, was that a yes or a no?"

"Meh." Logan rolled his eyes. He's had to deal with Michael's _nothingness_ ever since he came in the dorm after Quinn left to study with DelFigello (a study session that was only supposed to last one hour and fifteen minutes). At the time Michael just got back from saying goodbye to Lisa but wouldn't tell him anything about it—he just climbed up the bunk stairs and Meh-ed every time he was asked a question. Don't get him wrong, Logan sympathized for his friend—Lord knows what he'd do if Quinn moved to New Hampshire—but he didn't believe this was an acceptable reason for him to behave not like himself. This _nothingness_ version was way too depressing and not fun: not the Michael he knew.

"Well, if that's how you feel I'll just be taking one."

"Meh"

Logan ignored that statement and created one of his own. "'Oh, go ahead, Logan, you're the most awesome person in the world; you can have one of my t-shirts!' 'Oh, thank-you, Michael, how oh-so generous of you. And you're right, I am awesome.'" He was slipping the shirt on when Chase walked into their dorm with something behind his back.

"Hello, comrades of mine."

"Hey," greeted Logan.

"Meh," Michael's head was still covered by his pillow.

Chase turned to Logan. "Is he still Meh-ing?" He ran into Michael earlier—apparently right after Lisa left—and when he asked how'd he feel, he was greeted with: _Meh_.

"Oh, yeah. It's like something out of _Invasion of the Body Snatchers_."

"Well," Chase made his way towards Michael and leaned against his bunk. He removed his hands from behind his back to reveal a basket full of potato chips. Michael's been his best friend since the sixth grade, and if he knew one thing about him, it was that he LOVED his potato chips. "I guess that means he doesn't want to join me in a delightful bedtime snack of Leroy's Potato Chips—barbeque flavored." Chase reached in his pocket to grab a mini fan and it soon began blowing the irresistible aroma towards Michael's nose. It took a couple of seconds, but Michael finally turned around and snatched the basket from Chase's hand. Logan chuckled and started gargling with his White Crest mouthwash.

"Meh," and he then began stuffing his face. Chase smiled in accomplishment and started scratching behind Michael's ear. "That's a good boy; who's a good boy, yes you are, yes you are, my little zombie."

"Hey, Chase," Logan interrupted the patronizing moment between him and Michael, "I got your text message as to why you couldn't shoot pool with me earlier. Did you find that gift for your sister?"

Chase moved away from Michael (still chomping down sullenly on his chips) and walked toward his drawer. He kicked off his shoes and began getting ready for bed. "Yeah, yeah, Zoey helped me out…" his mind immediately sent him to that surprising event that happened not too long ago. "But you can't believe what happened to me."

Logan spat into their miniature fern plant and began gargling again. "Did you trip over someone in the hallway like you usually do?"

"NO—wait, yeah…but you'll never guess who I tripped into."

Logan thought. "Um…Brick Hunter?"

"No."

"Good, cause he'd squash you like a bug. Who'd you run into already?"

Chase finished putting on his pajamas and sunk down on his bed. All joking was pushed aside; he was serious now. "James Garrett."

Logan performed the classic "spit shock" and spat out his mouthwash all over the floor. What? "James _Garrett_?"

"Yeah, I suppose you know him considering he was you guys' roommate last semester."

"Yeah, but how do _you_ know him?"

"I told you, man, we bumped into each other in the hall."

**FLASHBACKIE!**

"…_Hi, I'm James Garrett."_

_Chase froze. If it wasn't for James tugging his hand free, he would've probably squeezed it to death (_by accident, people_). "James…Garrett…"_

"_Right, I used to live with your roommates, Logan and Michael… They had a group photo with you on the dresser, which explains how I know your face…yeah" He didn't know if Chase was feeling more awkward then him right now; maybe, maybe not. _

_Oh, yes, Chase knew James. How could he forget the name of his seemingly replacement for a whole semester and not to mention his girlfriend's ex-boyfriend? Zoey told him about James and their relationship during their ride to Maui—she also told him that even though he's a really nice guy she could never feel the same way about him as she does Chase. That was enough to win Chase over, and he never spoke of his name again. He's never seen his face, however, which was why he didn't recognize him._

"_Oh, well…what are you doing back at PCA? Dean Rivers said you left to visit your grandfather."_

"_I did, and now that I'm done I've decided to come back. Or…am I not…welcome?" He tried not to consider it too much, especially since he's had a lot to go on during the summer, but it always bothered him whether he'd be accepted by his old friends if he returned. Well, while he was getting into his father's car last year about to depart, he heard news from two random students that Chase Matthews was back. He knew Michael, Zoey, and the others would be ecstatic that he was back, and probably already forgot he existed. How would they feel if the supposed "Chase Matthews understudy" was to return?_

_Chase felt slight guilt course through him. "No…no man, I didn't mean for it to sound like that. I'm not in charge of who stays here; PCA's for everyone. Me Casa, Su Casa!" _

_James laughed. That did make him feel relief…well a little…kind of…not really, but still. "Thanks. Well, I'd love to chat some more, but I have to find my new dorm room and you have," he checked his watch, "six minutes exactly to mail that purse."_

_Oh, crap! Of course! Chase looked down at the green bag. "That's right, thanks, I gotta go!" He was about to dash in the other direction when all of a sudden James stopped him._

"_Wait!" James knew he shouldn't do this. From the looks of things he was on a relatively good page with Chase and didn't want to ruin it. But the gold necklace in his right pocket was eating at him. He just had to know why this was here. "You said before your girlfriend gave you that bag. Does that girlfriend happen to be Zoey Brooks?" _

_Chase was silent for a few seconds, maybe even more. Why did he want to know? "Yeah, she is. Is that a problem?"_

"_No, no, just curious." He shifted his weight to his right heel; gosh, that necklace felt like it weighed a ton. "Anyway, you'd better go."_

"_Right…"still confused, Chase didn't want to give James the opportunity to say anything else and walked away. _

**END FLASHBACKIE!**

"Wait…" said Logan, "If he's here…then he's _here_…as in _back here _here" (_hey, if it makes sense to Logan then it makes sense to everybody_)

"Yep, I'm pretty sure all the luggage gave it away."

Logan thought back to last year. Prom was like the wildest night of the year (especially considering he made out with Quinn like fifty times, followed by the constant third degree from his friends). There was an after party in the girls' lounge, and it wasn't until the end did Dean Rivers make an appearance to announce to him and Michael that James took an early dismissal on account of his sick grandfather. Logan and Michael were surprised to see him go so abruptly, but made an agreement with angry Ms. Bervich to let Chase stay with them. The summer came by fast, so no one really spoke much of him. But now that he was back, there was just one thing Logan HAD to know…

"Dude, is he hot?"

Chase gave Logan a very discomfited stare. "…Well…he had nice hair, but—"

"I knew it!" he fumed and sunk down on Chase's bed. "It's that beautiful blonde hair and those gorgeous green eyes that draws them in! Let me bet, there were groups of girls following him around, weren't there? Darn him and his attractiveness!"

Chase scooted a couple of seats away from Logan. "…um, well after _drowning _in his sexiness (_he rolled his eyes_) we talked for like a minute and…he seemed nice…" his voice trailed off as he thought deeper.

Logan focused back on the topic. "Yeah, I guess he's good people, but you're voice has a distant-vibe going on. What else happened?"

Chase sucked in a breath. A part of him knew he shouldn't, that he'd just be making something out of nothing, but that part wasn't as influencing as the part that told him to freak out and worry. "He asked me if Zoey was my girlfriend."

"…and?" Logan didn't see the harm in that.

"…and he asked me if Zoey was my girlfriend." Chase couldn't get why Logan didn't seem flustered. Obviously this was a big deal.

"…AND?"

"…AND he asked me if Zoey was my girlfriend!"

"Okay, okay! Jeez, what's your problem? So he asked you if you're going out with Zoey. You guys' are right?"

"You don't think it's kind of odd that the ex-boyfriend is asking the new boyfriend about his ex-girlfriend?"

"…No. Michael, you don't think that's odd, do you?" They both looked at the top bunk but unfortunately saw Michael dead asleep with scattered potato chip crumbs on his face. _Hm, he must have been tired out from crying._

Chase huffed. He knew his feelings were not dramatized and he had to show Logan that in a way he could understand. "So you're telling me you wouldn't find it the least bit suspicious if Mark came up to you asking you about Quinn. You know, how she was doing after you guys have been dating for what, ten months?"

That sure did it. Logan's fingers tightened into a fist and he abruptly rose from Chase's bed. "That doofbag! He _wishes_ he was on my level with Quinn. Wait—he probably DOES wish he was on my level with Quinn!" He started reaching for his cell phone. "That's it, I'm calling Quinn—"

Chase rose and stopped him. "Dude, it's eleven thirty, they're probably asleep. And besides, I was just trying to make a point."

Logan looked back to his phone pondering whether he should still call, you know, just to make sure Mark wasn't there. But he realized he was being a tad ridiculous and closed his phone. "Well, you've made your point," he said to Chase. "So, does this mean you're thinking James still has feelings for Zoey?"

Chase let out deep sigh. "I don't know. Hey, let me ask you something: when he and Zoey broke up did he seem mad, angry, overwhelmed in despair?"

"You're asking the wrong person, dude. None of us was there when they broke up. If you wanna know, you're going to have to ask Zoey."

Chase sunk back down on his mattress. He rested the palm of his hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling in thought. He knew he was going to have to tell Zoey what happened: they never keep secrets from each other. They don't lie and they don't keep in things that are bothering them—and this was bothering him. It wasn't anything personal about James that he didn't like—his brand of sarcasm was impressive—but he couldn't help but get the vibe that there was something on his mind, something he wanted to say but couldn't. Just why exactly did he want to know if Zoey was with him? They're over, what should it matter? Maybe…maybe Logan was right (_that's something you don't say everyday_). Maybe it was just an innocent query. Maybe he didn't mean anything by it. Maybe…maybe he just needed some sleep.

"Well," he yawned, "that's just something we're going to have to deal with in the morning. Until then, I'd like to enjoy my eleven hours of sleep."

Logan shrugged and hopped into his bottom bunk. "Way to delay the drama, dude. Night."

"Yeah…goodnight."

About one minute later, Chase was able to fall right asleep, but Logan kept turning in his blanket. "UGH! SOMEONE GOT POTATO CHIP CRUMBS IN MY BED!"

* * *

"Mm, this low-fat doodlecake is like heaven with a side trip to paradise." Lola's mouth watered at the taste of the cream-filled snack and enjoyed another bite. It was Saturday morning and she and Zoey were lounging on the girls' dorm couch, waiting for the Saturday morning announcements to air.

"I don't think that snack is very breakfast-friendly," commented Zoey.

"Hey, it's low-fat and milk was probably needed to make this. Therefore it is the perfect mini-breakfast."

"Okeedokee."

"Speaking of doodlecakes, did you find out what you wanted to do with James' necklace?"

Zoey paused, but replied without giving a straightforward answer. "You know, Chase it right; you are horrible with word associations."

"Well, I'll work on that, but you still haven't answered my question."

Zoey's distraction was useless; she gallingly dropped her head on the arm rest of the couch. "Ugh, I don't know!"

"Have you thought about telling Chase?"

Zoey buried her head with her hands. "Well, I did…"

Lola started to become worried for her friend. "But…" she urged.

"But then I had a dream last night that I told him. I showed him the necklace and he got so angry he broke up with me, robbed a bank, and camel-backed all the way to Milwaukee."

Lola looked at her with VERY confused features.

Zoey continued. "Well, apparently he would never rob a bank or camel-back all the way to Milwaukee, but you have to admit the first one could happen!"

Lola pulled her arms away from her face and sat her up in an upright position. "Zoey, please don't beat yourself up over this. Look, it's obvious you had too much coffee before bed and your brain went haywire. Chase would never EVER do something like that to you. …And besides, he's terrified of camels."

"Yeah," Zoey tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "I guess you're right. Chase is like, the most caring, considerate boy I know. If I told him the truth, sure it may bother him a bit, but he'd understand that me keeping James' necklace was purely—"

"SHH!" Lola stuffed her remaining doodlecake in Zoey's mouth. "Exne on the ecklessne! Logan's coming!" Zoey was a bit confused but did as she was ordered.

Logan strode into the lounge and waved to a couple of passing boys. "Heya, chicks," He greeted Zoey and Lola as he approached them.

"Hey, Logan," both chimed, but Zoey's greeting came out extremely muffled and incoherent. Logan gave her a peculiar stare.

"Hehe," Lola tried to cover. "She loves her doodlecakes!"

"Um, sure she does. Say has anyone of you guys seen Quinn?"

Zoey chewed the last bit of the doodlecake and swallowed. "Last time we saw her she was still in our room, but she said she'd meet us in a bit."

"Oh, that's good."

"Aw," Lola teased, "you're worried she's with Mark, aren't you?"

"No," Logan crossed his arms and glared.

"I think you are," Zoey added in. "It's written all over your face."

Logan rolled his eyes and turned around so his back was facing them. Now she couldn't even see his face, so HA.

"Oh," Lola just couldn't get enough of this. Witnessing Logan Reese jealous of another boy because of a girl was something she used to bet money on she'd never see. Now that that was true, she just couldn't let chances to mock him go. "I think he let her borrow his pocket protector; you better be careful, Reese, he's after your girl!"

Logan swung back around. "Shows what you know! Quinn doesn't even wear pockets, so there! And besides, I'm so not the jealous type."

"Alright," she ended their conversation, but in a whisper, she turned to Zoey. "He's so jealous."

"Yeah, he so is," agreed Zoey.

"What was that?"

"We love pie!" Zoey covered.

"Okay…" slightly bored, Logan walked over to the flat screen. He grabbed the remote from the coffee table and pressed the circular red button.

Nothing came on.

He pressed it again, but again nothing happened.

"I think this is broken."

"Just like your brain?" Logan shot a glare at Lola.

"Just kidding."

He decided not to give her the satisfaction of a slick comeback and grabbed another remote off the table.

"What are you doing?" asked Zoey.

"Switching the batteries." He opened the back of both remotes and began the switching.

"You should just leave them alone," warned Lola.

"You should just jump off a cliff," he shot back.

"Your mom should just jump off a cliff!"

"I have eight step moms, pick one!"

Logan didn't give Lola time to reply and turned on the TV. The PCA News header appeared on the screen. At the sound of the catchy theme music, students started gathering around the TV to get another dose of mediocre high school broadcasting.

"_Where's my makeup!" Jeremiah could be heard saying. "I need my makeup!" He was given a signal by the cameraman that they were on air, and immediately straightened his tie. _

"_Hello, fellow student body, Jeremiah Trottman here with your PCA News_."

"Have you ever noticed he never changes his shoes?" Zoey asked to Lola.

"Yeah, but you have to admit, the orange does suit him well."

"_Now, before I begin with the days' events, I'd like to make a quick and special announcement. I have with me here a very special and familiar face, not to mention my new roommate—"_

"Oh, no…" Logan glanced back to Zoey and inwardly bit his lip. He knew Chase wanted to be the one to tell her, but he wasn't sure if 'publicly to the whole school' was apart of his plan. He cringed before turning back to the TV.

"_James Garrett!"_

A cornucopia of replies and commentary could be heard throughout the lounge, but nothing compared to Zoey's reaction. Her eyes were the size of grapefruits and her mouth hung agape as she stared transfixed at the television.

"James…Garrett…?" her voice caught in her throat and she was barely audible.

Lola gulped. Never before was the stench of drama so abundant. She waved a hand in front of her face in hopes of sending her back down to Earth. "Maybe…we heard it wrong. Maybe he said…James Barret, you know…Michael's evil twin…" But that theory was flushed down the toilet as soon as James' face was seen on the TV.

"_Hey, everyone. I'm so excited to be back here at PCA." _

"Yeah," replied Zoey bitterly, "I didn't know Michael's evil twin had green eyes, blonde hair, and _looks nothing like him_."

"You're right," Lola replied pathetically, "he's too cute to be evil."

"_So James, please tell us all the things you missed here, besides your very handsome anchorman, of course."_

"_Riiight…Well, I miss the lunches. I've swear you have the meatiest meatloaf this world has ever seen." _

"Thank-you!" a random cafeteria lady shouted from across the room.

"_I also miss the amazing sporting events and the awesome teachers, not to mention the sick lounges here."_

_Jeremiah nodded in agreement._

"_But…I especially miss all the great and wonderful friends I've made," he turned to face the camera directly. "I haven't forgotten about you, and I hope you haven't forgotten about me."_

Zoey froze. She really hoped her ears just were playing tricks on her and not that what he said was a secret message directed to her personally. She could have suppressed that thought a lot easier if the students weren't whispering and eyeing her curiously. _James made a lot of good friends last year; he could mean anyone._ She mentally slapped herself. Even _she_ could tell she was in denial.

"_That was truly a pleasure, James, and I hope you enjoy the rest of your year here." he turned to the camera. "I'll now be taking you over to sports with my buddy Johnny Silverman—"_

Logan cut the TV off. Mostly all the students started to disperse, so it really didn't matter. He could feel the tension in the air radiating from Zoey. He glanced at Lola and she gave him a look as if she was saying, _Yeah, this is gonna be bad. If I were you I'd go._

_You don't have to tell me twice_, he telecommunicated back. "So, um…I'm going to fetch Quinn and um…make-out! See ya!" and he was gone.

Suddenly the headache Zoey had from last night came back. Why? Why did every bad thing that could jeopardize her and Chase' relationship have to happen now? Last night she found her ex-boyfriend's necklace that said "I love you"; today that same guy returns to PCA and says over TV "I haven't forgotten about you, and I hope you haven't forgotten about me". What was going to happen tomorrow? Was he going to beat up Chase and ask her hand in marriage in front of the whole Malibu population?

No, she had to stop that before it happened.

Determined to talk to James before anyone else (i.e. Chase) could, she rose from the couch and headed for the exit. Lola, puzzled, watched her go.

"Hey," she called after her, "where are you going?"

"To welcome our new student," and she was gone. Lola turned back around and sunk in her seat. Great, now one of her best friends was in the midst of a great ordeal and she didn't know what she could do to help. Plus she was now bored! Logan was probably fifteen seconds away from running into Quinn so hanging out with her wasn't an option. Chase—oh, she wouldn't dare hang out with Chase alone in fear she might totally blow Zoey's secret; Vince was at an early football practice with some others on the team (which made her very mad. Really, why would you want to practice and get sweaty on a Saturday instead of spending quality time with your girlfriend?), and Michael was…wait, where was Michael? She hadn't heard anything from him since yesterday, and didn't know how he took the Lisa news. She had to find him: he was now her one and only source of non-boredom.

Almost right after she had that thought, Michael came dragging his feet entering the lounge. He walked slowly until he found the couch and sat in the seat that Zoey once occupied. He was arched forward; his elbows rested on his knees and cheeks were smashed between his palms.

"Hey, Michael," Lola welcomed.

"Hey…" he monotonously welcomed back. Lola took it as a bit strange, but since she didn't have to hear him "meh"-ing last night, she didn't realize what an accomplishment this was.

"So…how was your morning?"

"Okay…" again his tone was lifeless. Lola began feeling a bit uncomfortable. One word answers? This was definitely not the Michael she knew.

"Okay," she paused for a second, thinking of something that he would give a better answer to. She got it! "Hey! Did you watch the PCA news? James is back, how exciting is that?"

"Very…"

Lola huffed. That was all she could handle of his zombie-like attitude. "Oh, come on! That's a very serious topic that requires at least a 3-dimensional answer. I know you have more to say than just 'very'."

Michael sighed. "Okay… how about this: 'that is very exciting news'. Is that simple-structured sentence enough for you?"

Lola clearly noticed the irritation in his voice. A little hurt, she backed down. "Sorry…"

Michael inwardly winced. He knew he shouldn't have taken that tone of voice with Lola. She was, after all, just trying to start a conversation. The back of his mind had many exciting comments to say about James being back, but this…this thing was just in the way, constantly overpowering his thoughts so that it was the only thing he could think about. He knew what it was: Lisa.

"No, I'm sorry," he began, trying his best to verbally express his feelings for the second time today (Chase asked him when he woke up how he was feeling, and he told him about the brain allegory. Chase understood and thankfully let it go). He couldn't forget he still had friends that cared. "I know it's not like me to be like this—I don't even like me when I'm like this. But could you all blame me? My girlfriend just dumped me for New Hampshire. What's worse is that I didn't even see this coming. She dropped the metaphorical bomb on me and I'm still getting the after-effects of it; I barely have the strength to move today."

Lola listened to all of his words and no longer was her feelings hurt. She had no idea he felt this badly, and now she couldn't help but feel a little guilty that she didn't pay much attention. She decided not to go for the whole "I'm sorry" or the classic cliché, "there's more fish in the sea"; boys hated that with a passion. Instead, she decided to just be a friend. "At least now you're up to the compound-complex structure of your sentences; and don't say you have no strength. How were you able to get up out of bed if you had no strength?"

"I had to get up; the mattress was drenched in water."

"From what?"

"From my tears!" He finally broke down and started crying in Lola's lap.

"Aw, Michael…" Lola delicately began to pet his head. That boy could certainly cry up a storm. She had to lift him up before he made it look like she wet herself. "What can I do to make you sit up and stop crying?"

"Nothing!" he continued to sob. "Nothing you do can ease my pain, my heartache, my abandonment, my depression, my anger, my sorrow, my misery, my woe, my…"

During Michael's monologue of sadness, Lola contemplated on things that always made Michael happy. Well, from her three years of knowing him, she was able to make a list in her head. The number one thing was definitely his friends: well, he had one of them right now but she alone was not able to help. The second thing was in New Hampshire—not to mention the cause of this—so that was also out of the question. The third thing was…of course! The third thing! Genius!

"…my anguish, my rejection, my loneliness, my desolation, my grief, my distress, my—"

"Oh, Michael," Lola reached into her purse and grabbed out her GEO. Music was the third source of his happiness and feel-good attitude. Besides junk food, music was like heroine to Michael. She searched through her songs and soon found the perfect one to revive his perkiness.

"This song is number one on the Dance Party Revolution playlist. It's pumped up beats make it impossible for you to resist." She placed a tiny earbud in his right ear and hit play.

_Dam Dadi Doo Dam Dam Didoo Didam Dam Dadi Doo Dam Dam Didoo Didam… (Okay, people, this is a real song called 'Dam Dadi Doo' by Nightcore. It's one of my favs)_

Michael's tears slowly resided as he took in the fast-pace melody through his eardrums. He felt absolutely miserable and was probably in the biggest flump in his life, but he had to admit this was catchy. He could definitely see this as a song to dance to—

That's when it hit him.

Dance.

Lisa left him for dance.

In literally a second he relapsed and took the earbud out of his ear. He removed his head from Lola's lap and covered his face in hands. Lola hit pause on her GEO and forcefully pulled his hands away from his face.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "Don't lie to me, Michael; I saw your head slightly nod to the beat."

"It did!" He cried again.

"So what's wrong?"

"Lisa loves to dance! She dumped me for dance! Dance won her over, but I couldn't!"

Lola crossed her arms. "So you're never going to listen to music again because it reminds you of dancing which reminds you of Lisa?" Even she had to admit that was unbelievably ridiculous.

"Well, duh." Michael gave her a look as if that was extremely obvious.

"UGH! THAT'S IT!" Unexpectedly, she yanked Michael by the arm and stomped out of the lounge.

"Wh—where are you taking me?" asked a baffled Michael.

"To my room; I have something to show you that I KNOW you can't resist."

Michael was still confused, but he let Lola drag him to wherever. It didn't matter where she took him anyway; he was still going to feel miserable.

Lola dragged him past the students and into room 101. She pulled off her purse and headed for the computer. She motioned for Michael to stand next to her.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"You'll see." Once the computer was turned on, Lola navigated the mouse and clicked on a shortcut on the desktop. Soon, an adorably cute image of a chipmunk wearing headphones appeared on the screen.

"What's this?" asked Michael.

Lola smiled. "It's an awesome computer program Quinn installed for me. It's called Chipmunk Funk."

"Chipmunk Funk?"

"Yeah, you know how some people mix songs to make the voices sound really squeaky and high?"

"Yeah, me and Chase have been trying to figure out how to do that for our show." Michael couldn't hide it anymore: this was really beginning to interest him.

"Well, that's what Chipmunk Funk is for!" She moved the pointer to a window in the top right corner of the screen. "You just pick a song from the library, then you press these hoodicky buttons, turn this whatchamacallit, slide the thingamabob, and then you have a hilariously awesome chipmunk remix!"

Michael smirked. "Nice instructions."

"Yeah, I had no idea what Quinn was talking about when she explained it to me, so I messed with it myself and now it's a piece of cake."

"Okay, even though I have to admit this looks pretty drippin, what does this have to do with me?"

"Okay, you can't deny the awesomness of this, right?"

Michael glanced at the screen again and noticed the dancing chipmunk in the top left corner. He lightly chuckled. "Okay, no I can't."

"And you can't deny how much you want to mess with this right?"

Michael kept staring at the mouse. "Okay, no I can't."

"Now tell me, can you let the thought of Lisa stop you from having your fun—fun you haven't had in two days?" she stared pensively into Michael's eyes, forcing him to tell the truth. Michael stammered and his fingers fidgeted on the mouse. It was like the Korean War in his mind (or some type of war; he wasn't good with historic events). Two parts were battling back and forth with each other. Here was Lola, forcing him to make a decision he knew was hard to answer. Grieving because of Lisa—the girl that used to be the love of his life—or making an attempt to heal himself by engaging in what looked like too much fun. He knew it was over between him and Lisa, but still…

Lola continued staring at him. Finally,

"Gimme that thing!" Michael grabbed the mouse and scrolled down the music library. Lola smiled, she actually made an improvement with him today; yay!

"What song should I pick first?" Michael asked, eyes beaming at the sight of all the song choices. Lola smiled at him one last time before turning back to the computer.

"Hm, let's try…ooh! Pick 'Stuck in my Straw' by Strawberry Lumps!" (_If you watch iCarly you would so get that lol_)

"Alright, Strawberry Lumps, prepare to be chipmunkified!" He pressed the hoodicky buttons, turned the whatchamacallit, slid the thingamabob, and hit the playback button. In about two seconds the high-pitch and distorted sound came from the speakers. They both laughed as the song continued.

"You're right; this _is_ hilariously awesome!" Michael said with clear amusement in his voice.

"Told ya, now pick another one!"

"Hm…" Michael scrolled down the song choices then finally saw one worth remixing. "How about 'Speak Low' by My Fellow Americans?"

"Speak Low it is," said Lola and this time she pressed the controls. A new sound soon came through the speakers and intoxicated the two with mirth. If it wasn't for him being temporarily distracted with musical chipmunk entertainment, he would have realized that this was the first time in two days that he engaged in laughter, spoke more than two words in a sentence, or occupied more than a frown on his face. His mind was truly taken off of Lisa, and Lola was the one that helped him do that.

"Wow," he started once his laughs quieted down, "I never knew listening to a furry mammal sing could be so fun."

"Well, pull up a chair and let's continue with our fun!"

Michael gladly obliged and reached for one of Zoey's vanity stools. He scooted next to Lola and picked more songs to "chipmunkify". About ten minutes past and the two worked through _Longer_ by Sanjay Kwest, _5 Minutes_ by Ladonna, _Sexy Pak _by Dustin Timbersnake, and _Start It Over_ by Riley Vyrus.

"Okay," Lola sighed to release one more laugh and exited out of the computer. "That's all the Chipmunk Funk I can take for one day."

"Yeah, I guess you're right…" Lola got up from the chair and walked toward her mirror to straighten her low pigtails, leaving Michael sitting alone in front of the computer. The blackness of the screen allowed Michael to see his reflection, and he froze at what he saw. His features were no longer hard and lifeless; his cheeks stung from laughing so hard and his eyes were a lot brighter than before. He for once did not feel the need to frown. It made him think; this was the Michael his friends knew and loved, that made everyone—including himself—cheerful. The Michael before—the desperate, poor, and downright pathetic Michael—wasn't him, and even though it still hurt him that Lisa was gone, it hurt him even more to see what he had become. He finally came to the conclusion that he didn't want to be that Michael ever again, and if that were to happen, he had to find a way to get over Lisa.

He turned around and stared at Lola who was now reapplying her lip gloss. She was the one to get him to laugh again; maybe she could help him with this. "How do you do it?"

Lola paused. "Apply lip gloss? Well first you need to start off with a base—I recommend a chap stick cause it'll leave your lips extra glossy—then, depending on your complexion, you add the—"

"No, no, no!" Michael interrupted. "I'm not talking about your cosmetology applications. I mean…how do you get over someone that you really cared for but dumped you?"

Lola stopped reapplying her lip gloss. Poor Michael… He was still really hurt by Lisa and it was clear the funking of chipmunks wasn't going to ease that. But inwardly, she couldn't help but smile. Admitting that he wants to change and get past this was showing a thousand percent more progress than earlier. She was totally proud of him. But then again…getting over Lisa—especially since they've been dating for a year—was going to be extremely hard. What could she say, better yet, what could she _do_ to help him?

"That's it!" she jumped.

"What's it?"

Lola grabbed Michael by the hands and pulled him up from his seat. "I know the perfect way to help you get over this AND cure me of my boredom!"

Michael gave her a quizzical brow. He could see the gleam in her eyes and new that meant she got a new—and slightly dangerous—idea. "How are you going to help me get over this and cure you of your boredom?"

"The same way Quinn helped me get over my fear of people in giant costumes!"

Michael stepped back. "Wait…you aren't going to light me on fire, are you?"

"No, remember she set _Chase_ on fire. Anyway, I'll guide you through a 3-step program that'll help you heal, find your inner strength, and move on with your life."

"You sound like a weight instructor for Body Watchers."

"Well," she joked, "it wouldn't hurt to lose a pound or two."

"Hey! I am purely 90 percent abs and 10 percent Leroy's Potato Chips, okay?"

Lola laughed. "Okay, don't worry I'm just kidding. Look, it's just 3 measly steps: accepting your problem, finding small ways to deal with it, and then facing it head-on. You've already past step one: accepting that Lisa's gone. Now you just have to find ways to slowly deal with her absence and getting over her. Finally, you have to do this huge challenge to prove you're really healed."

"Yes; and how do you suppose I do that?"

She smiled. "With me as your coach! I'll help you every step of the way."

Michael silenced and thought about this plan. Having a coach to help you get over your ex and move on with your life—that sure made the makings for a bad reality TV show. But he couldn't deny he hated feeling so awful and was willing to do anything to get rid of that. Maybe this wouldn't be such a bad idea…

"Are you sure this could work?" he questioned, his mind slowly warming to the idea.

"Look, if I know anything, I know boys, and I know how their mind works."

Michael couldn't disagree to that. After dressing her up as a dude in sophomore year, he couldn't believe how well she fit to that character. For a girl, she sure knew how to think like a boy (which for a while made him very uncomfortable). "For real…you can get me out of my flump?" he had to be convinced one last time.

"I could _so_ get you out of your flump. Trust me; by the end of three weeks, you'll love me."

Lola watched him slowly pace the room. In her mind she was already conducting several plans and tasks. This was so exciting! It was like for once she was the acting coach, blessing the pupil with her expertise. The impact she could make on Michael made her squeal with delight!

Michael thought her words over one more time before turning back to Lola. "Alright, Senorita Martinez, I'm all yours."

"Yay!" she jumped for joy and glomped Michael with one of her famous bare hugs.

* * *

**OMG that took forever! I don't know how long it takes for you guys to read this, but it takes me a century to type it. I'm a little disappointed about where I ended this chapter, because I wanted to send out another twist to you people, but once I get over 7,000 words (which I did) I just HAVE to stop. I hope you guys liked this despite the mega drama. At this point in the story things are about to go up the hill of the emotional rollercoaster. I'm sorry for lack of Quogan, but don't worry, I promise you'll get full Quogan exposure next chapter. I also hope you like the twisting of names. You can't believe how much fun I had changing Kanye West to Sanjay Kwest :). Now, before I go I'll like to introduce my new and super cool idea-thingy. It's called Z101 Trivia Moment. Woo! I'll ask a question that has something to do with Zoey 101, and the first person to answer this question correctly in their review gets a little clue or snippet as to what's going on in the later chapters. Why am I doing this? Because I'm bored and I can. So…**

**Z101 Trivia Moment Woo! : **_**What is the name of the band that performs for the prom in Chasing Zoey? **_**Their songs are awesome and I really wanna know! Thanks so much for who answers this! Now, I'm sure you guys' eyes hurt from reading all of this, so ta ta! **


	4. Caught in the Act of

Amber Ensley

**A/N: Yes, people, shoot me, I know I deserve it. I made you guys wait over two weeks before I updated. But before you murder me please allow me to gravel at your feet. I was in a major slump after updating chapter three because of personal crap and not to mention I had the classic case of writer's block, but then after I regained my awesomness period my internet went retarded and I haven't been able to get online to update. But after having a better week and writing down every single idea, I've so got this story in control and I can't wait for you guys to read the later chapters because I know you'll love it (especially all those Quogan and Choey fans hint hint). Thank you so much, all of you, who have reviewed for the last chapter, and the new faces I've seen that added me to alerts. Seriously, you guys drive me to write this and I loooove you guys for it. I also want to thank those anonymous people that don't review but still read, even yous that don't have an account and still review and keep in touch. I used to do that before I had my account, and I appreciate you people so much! LOVE YOU!! I've also watched every single episode of Zoey 101 I have recorded including Chasing Zoey and I have now every character perfectly pictured in my mind. Has anyone ever noticed how Derek from **_**Life with Derek**_** reminds you A LOT of Logan? Looks AND personality. Maybe they're related in some alternate universe. Anywho, I don't know what else to drabble about randomly so here's chapter four!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Zoey 101, but if I did… (Smiles maniacally) let's just say there would be a very shirtless Matthew Underwood and a tub filled with chocolate pudding…yeah…pudding… :) **

* * *

James paced back and forth in his dorm room nervously cracking his knuckles. He was so lost in thought; he didn't realize he was cracking his knuckles until he glanced down. He stopped, remembering his father's hatred of his knuckle-cracking habit. But gosh, he was so flustered, he had to disobey his father's wishes and crack like he's never cracked before.

Why exactly did Jeremiah Trotman have to put him on the air like that? He's been back to PCA for only thirteen hours and hadn't even decided where he wanted to post his racecar poster; did Jeremiah really think he was ready to be broadcasted to the entire student body? He remembered last night after he greeted him, he kept on complaining about lack of an opener for the Saturday News Report, but he honestly did not think he would force him to make an appearance. Well, yeah, he really did like that because of him being on the news he got the single bed, but was it really worth the attention and possible embarrassment? What seriously bothered him the most about everyone knowing he was back so soon was that _everyone_ knew he was back, a Michael, a Logan, a Quinn, a Lola, and a Zoey included. Did they want him back? Did they miss him? Did they even remember him?

He shook his head out of it and sat down on his bed. He tried not to think of it; he didn't want to think of it. What would he do if he did find out that his old friends—friends that he became attached to a lot more than he planned—didn't think of him in the same way? Never in his life did he meet such people with a…vast array of character. They made him laugh, frustrated, and even made him shake his head in wonder on many an occasion. People like that were priceless, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he felt worthless to them.

His mind then shifted to spite. If that's the way they really felt, then why did he care? Why was he sitting here feeling like an idiot? Why was he working himself up so much? Why was…why was his butt feeling extremely uncomfortable? He stood up to inspect his bed for the cause of his butt-hurt. His heart did the familiar increasing-of-the-beating when he once again laid eyes on Zoey's necklace—well his necklace intended for Zoey—resting on his blanket. He picked it up and let it rest in his palm.

"Why are you hear—again?" He then remembered he fell asleep with it in his hand trying to figure out that exact same question. The more he held the necklace, the more he wondered _why_ he was holding the necklace. Seriously, why? Was it fate, irony, or a really weird coincidence that he found the necklace by bumping into Zoey's new boyfriend? Obviously Chase didn't know that the necklace was in Zoey's old purse. Was this some kind of message about their relationship or something? Did Zoey keep the necklace on purpose? Did she want Chase to find out?

_No, No,_ he thought, _Stop jumping to conclusions, James. Remember what Grandma used to tell you: curiosity killed the cat._ He cleared his mind and finally set the necklace down on the dresser. It was none of his business. Well, sure, he bought her the necklace with all of his savings as a way of declaring his love for her only to be dumped less than two days later, but it wasn't his business what Zoey's intentions were with it. It was hers now, after all. Even though his romantic feelings for Zoey melted away during the summer, he still really cared for her as a friend, and didn't like the feeling of invading her privacy. So, with that in mind he would just find her, tell her exactly what happened, give her back the necklace, and hopefully prevent any confusions or altercations.

_Yeah, easier said than done_

He was about to grab the necklace and begin his search for Zoey, but was stopped when he heard the knock on the door.

"Excuse me," the feminine voice called from the other side of the door. "I'm looking for James, James Garret. Is he in here?"

A very thrown off guard James fumbled with the necklace until he decided to put it—once again—in his right pocket. He walked toward the door and tuned the knob.

"Yes, I am—Zoey?"

* * *

"One light mocha-chino twist for you, ma'am" Logan offered his girlfriend the steamy cup of coffee after lying down on the grass under a very shady tree.

"Aw, thanks baby," Quinn gladly accepted, putting her book of "Bronsted and Lowry: Acidic and Basic Principles" to the side. She was about to take a sip when she was stopped by Logan's hand.

"Nuh-uh," he objected, "I just don't give away mocha-chino coffees for free. Pay up, Pensky."

Quinn gave him a raise of the eyebrow followed by the annoyed eye roll. Of course, this was Logan Reese she was dealing with. On few occasions he made random generous gestures without expecting something in return. But in no way was she offended; she knew exactly what payment he was hoping for, and she was more than happy to comply. She gave him a very tempting smile then leaned forward, gently locking her lips with his.

Logan smiled against her lips, accepting the kiss gladly. A simple kiss from Quinn was better than money any day, and that meant _a lot_ considering he was born filthy rich. With one elbow against the grass propping him up, he took his free hand and gently tucked a stray curl behind her ear, then returning to awe at how soft her pale little cheek was. Seriously, he never saw anyone—well besides himself—with such a clear perfect face, like a porcelain doll. Maybe she used one of her weird Quinnventions to get rid of all her acne or something, but whatever it was just made her look more beautiful in his eyes, which was getting pretty scary, because she was beginning to be a lot more beautiful than himself. The scariest part was that Logan didn't really care. For once he didn't care if someone was more beautiful than him, because Quinn deserved it.

She deserved everything.

Which was why he was going to ask her to marry him!

"Quinn, he said suddenly, "will you marry me?"

_**Okay, people, no, he's not really gonna do that, but for some reason that seemed the direction to go. Well, it made me laugh! Talk about a comedy relief. Anyway, so just scratch those last two sentences and get on with the main story…now!**_

"You know," he said once they parted, "you're really beautiful…really."

Quinn blinked, and now those smooth, porcelain cheeks were visibly turning red. There weren't many times Logan replaced the word "hot" with "beautiful", and out of all times, he picks now to throw her off guard with that complement. His uncanny ability to be completely random threw her off too many times, yet never ceased to make her heart explode. She replied by just giving him a warm smile and took a drink from her coffee. Logan smirked at her reaction and lied back down on the grass near her feet with a very satisfied smile. _I never fail at being awesome_, he thought.

Moments slowly passed and the two just rested, Logan staring up at the sky watching the clouds past and trying to find the shapes that they made (Celsius clouds or whatever…), and Quinn flipping the pages of her book every forty-five seconds. Occasionally she'd peek from under the cover and silently laugh at how adorable Logan looked, murmuring words such as "that's a toaster," and "that one's a raccoon," and "that's definitely a pear…or a fat person with no legs." This so reminded her of last year, when their feelings for each other first began. They'd always have to meet in private, and when they did meet—say at night or on the beach—they would just sit and be silent for a while. Passion and love would be radiating from the both of them—both could clearly feel the mutual connection—but didn't truly speak of it because it was so hard to explain, and they didn't want to take the risk of completely screwing up their words. Even Quinn couldn't explain it. That certainly made her snort in the irony. The girl with over 100,000 words in her vocabulary couldn't even begin to articulate how deep her emotions were for the stupid boy at her feet, the reasons he made her smile, the annoying and uncontrollable way he made her heart beat at saying simple things like "you're really beautiful…really". Not one word in that vast collection of words in her brain could match that.

For once in her life, science and reason failed.

But because it was Logan, she really didn't mind at all…much.

About a moment later, Logan got tired of the identification of cloud shapes and turned to face Quinn, resting his head on her knees.

"Babyyy," he whined, "I'm booored."

Quinn turned another page of her book, entering the chapter of "The Accepting of Acids". "Uh huh."

Logan rolled his eyes and grabbed her book. Before Quinn had the time to object he closed the pages and tossed it behind his back.

"Hey!"

"You deserved that. Reading? Seriously, no. Now what you should do is focus more on me and my boredom instead of reading a chemistry book on a Saturday."

Quinn released a deep sigh. A part of her knew she could easily nerve pinch him and steal her book bag, but then again she was almost done with it anyway. Besides, whenever Logan complained saying he was bored, she knew exactly what he meant. Too bad for him she wasn't going to give him what he wanted this time. Let's make him suffer a bit for taking her book.

"You bored?" The hand she had placed on the ground balled tightly to pull some grass from its resting place. She opened his hand and let the blades fall. "Here, play with these. With the right imagination these can qualify for hours of entertainment."

Logan gave her a hard glare then switched his gaze to his hand. What was he going to do with this? Obviously he couldn't make out with grass. He was about to just shake them out of his hand when his mind came up with a fun and brilliant idea. He raised his hand and shook out the blades of grass on top of Quinn's head. The surprised/angered look on her face was so cute and humorous to him.

"You're right," he smirked, "this is entertaining." He then pulled more grass from the ground and flung them at her. Quinn glared and was about to open her mouth to verbally express her frustration, but took a different route when she noticed the billions of ammo around her. She pulled some grass from the ground and threw some right back in Logan's face.

"Hey! Watch the hair!"

Quinn stuck her tongue out tauntingly and fed his face with more grass. Logan glowered and sucked his teeth as he crossed his arms. Quinn was about to give up and hit him with a "lighten up you big baby," but to her surprise he had her pinned to the ground in a blink of an eye, shaking out all the grass he had on his body and transferring it to her. A smirk accompanied his sense of dominance, but he was cut short as Quinn used her own strength to push him to the ground. Before the two knew it, they were wrestling each other, engaged in a full out grass-war (_poor Mother Nature_). Logan clutched tightly at her waist, pulling her on top of him; Quinn beat forcefully on his back, laughter always escaping her mouth. Soon the grass was forgotten and the two just enjoyed mercilessly beating each other (_I swear, if this stupid computer tells me "eachother" is not correct one more time...! Seriously, look at it; doesn't it look correct, even if it isn't?_) to a pulp. Without even realizing it, Logan's boredom melted away, replaced with _arousal_. In the midst of Quinn's laughter, he snaked his hands around her waist and hovered on top of her slowly reaching her hands and pinning them to her side. He tucked his head underneath her chin, giving her small kisses down her neck. Quinn's laughter started to die down once she realized what he was really up to, and like always when he kissed her or touched her, her heart beat heavily against her chest. His lips were so soft, which made his kisses so sweet and tender, and she could never stop herself from wanting more. So, like the mindless passionate schoolgirl Logan managed to turn her into, she reached down to kiss those soft lips of his.

Logan's insides burned as Quinn snuck her hands away from her side and held his cheeks together, giving back as much—if not more—force on the kiss as he did. Oh, how he loved the way she would kiss him and show how much she wanted him. Not only did it boost his ego up a notch, but it only proved that he wasn't the only one crazy in love, that she felt the passion just as much as he did and loved it just as much as he did (him admitting just how crazy in love, however, was an _entirely_ different story that will probably NEVER be told—after all, it's still _Logan_). After about 85 years, their bodies called for something else: oxygen. They pulled apart abruptly, and at the same time a phone went off between them.

"Is that my phone vibrating or am I just _really_ happy right now?" Logan asked very seductively, staring deep into her chocolate eyes. Yeah, he loved doing that, too. Quinn blushed ferociously at what he was inclining and pushed him off of her.

"N-no, stupid, that's my phone."

"Oh, so _you're_ the one that's really happy right now. Well, I wouldn't blame you." He slipped her a suggestive smile but was greeted with more grass in his face. Quinn rolled her eyes, her blush starting to disappear, and dug in her pocket for her phone. She looked at the lighted screen which read NEW TXT MSG. Thinking it was probably from Zoey or Lola, she pressed a button to read the message.

**NEW TXT**

--

Quinn, I'm in the courtyard. I need help with your floor plan: doesn't make sense. Thanks.

--

**Received: 12: 23 PM**

**From: Mark**

Logan brushed off his face and shoulders and flashed a very questioning brow at Quinn. The way her eyes furrowed as she read the message bothered him.

"Who's that?" he asked.

Quinn bit her lip in nervousness, afraid of Logan's reaction when he found out that Mark wanted to steal her away for help on their project. "Um…you're bestest buddy in the whole wide world?"

"Unless it's Chase or Michael, I highly doubt that's who texted you."

Quinn looked back and forth between her phone and Logan, wondering if she should ignore Mark's call and stay with her boyfriend. She was about to decide with the latter when all of a sudden it struck her. This was her science project that was in need. Just because her ex-boyfriend was her partner did not mean she should her neglect her responsibilities as a scientist. She did not want her future A + project in jeopardy. Logan would understand, and even if he didn't she would go anyway.

"Okay, okay, it's Mark."

"Mark?" The fact that he was repeating his name didn't help much since he understood her words perfectly. What a surprise! Mark wanted help from Quinn! Now—once again when everything was perfect, when he was enjoying the company of his beautiful girlfriend—Mark came begging for her attention. He was really beginning to rethink this whole "being okay with the ex-boyfriend" thing.

"Yes, Mark," Quinn continued. "My floor plans don't make sense to him. I need to assist him in working out some schematics."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! I don't like the sound of you two _schemating_ anything!"

Quinn rolled her eyes. "Logan, a schematic is a diagram or illustration."

Logan paused. "Oh…well like that makes it any better."

Quinn's frustration quickly dwindled and was replaced with humor as she saw his anger for what it really was. "Aw, you're jealous aren't you?"

Logan paused, thrown off by her words. How could she even suggest such a thing? "Me? Jealous? Babe, do you know who you're talking to? Logan Reese is not jealous of anyone, and that's a fact."

In the short distance, Quinn could spot Chase walking toward them. She smiled; this would be the perfect opportunity to prove her point.

"Hey, peoples," Chase greeted as he approached them. "Say, have you guys seen Zoey around? I have to talk to her about something."

"Nope," answered Quinn, "not since this morning, but do you think Logan is jealous of Mark?"

Chase answered without trouble. "Yeah, totally."

Logan dropped his jaw. "Dude!"

"Well, anyway, I'm gonna go look some more, see ya."

"Bye Chase," Quinn then turned back to Logan with an I-told-you-so smile plastered on her face.

"Oh, come on, like you're going to believe Chase—the same guy that believes Elvis donated a kidney to his great grandfather."

"I don't know; you do show all the symptoms of an irrationally jealous boyfriend."

"Hey! I had all my servings of fruits so far."

Quinn could have ruined his attempt at defending himself by saying that irrational did not mean poor food portions, but she decided to let him keep his false sense of security. "C'mon, Logan, I just can't reject my project—"

"Why can't you?"

There was a deadly silence before Quinn spoke. "You seriously did not just ask me that."

Logan saw the killing sting in her eyes and decided against commenting on that. "Okay, okay, obviously I wouldn't stop you from working on your project seeing as how I treasure my life and don't want to die, but all I'm saying is just take a little break."

"Yeah," she snorted, "coming from the individual that hasn't even started his project."

"Which secretly joys you," he countered. "Just face it; you love that I haven't worked with Mandy yet. Ha. Not so tough when the cat's in the other foot, now are you?" (_Hey, if it makes sense to Logan then it makes sense to everybody_)

"Logan, Logan, Logan, my naïve little Logan, I'll admit, thinking about you two working together bugs me to an extent, but I wouldn't want you completely ignoring your assignment. We _all_ know you need the grade."

"…So you're fine with it?" Part of Logan didn't believe it, but then again, she was the more mature one in the relationship.

"You two working together on your project, yes. On the impression you'll have with her…well…" her voice trailed off.

Logan was confused with her change of tone. "What do you mean?"

Quinn pinched his cheeks. "Aw, your oblivion is cute."

"Huh?"

"Oh, come on Logan, we both know your ability to flirt with any female you come in contact with. It's like, subconscious with you."

"Okay, one, I don't know what subconscious means so I won't reply to that part of your sentence, and two, I do not flirt with every girl I talk to."

"Well, then my senses must be malfunctioning cause that's the vibe I seem to be picking up every time."

"Well recheck your vibes because it won't happen."

Quinn thought for a bit, looking into his eyes. They were square and determined—not to mention that beautiful shade of brown that she loved. Maybe she should give him the benefit of the doubt.

"So," she clarified, "if I were to see you two working on your project together, you wouldn't be flipping your hair, half-smiling mysteriously in her direction, or send a suggestive remark her way?"

"Of course; these gorgeous eyes only seek after one girl." He winked and reached for Quinn's chin, locking her in a sweet kiss—quick, but sweet all the same. When they released, Quinn smiled. No matter what tiny doubt she had in the back of her mind, her love for him definitely surpassed it. "Okay, now I'm gonna go help Mark, and I'll be back in a jiff. Love you!"

Logan was about to protest about her abrupt departure, but was halted by Quinn's light peck on the cheek and her already walking off. A part of him couldn't help but think he got rejected as she went off with DelFigello, but he put that part to rest and relaxed under the shady tree. He spotted Quinn's forgotten book not too far away and reached for it. He curiously scanned the pages. His eyes landed on one passage and began reading silently to himself.

"_According to the theory of Bronsted and Lowry, in order for a compound to be identified as an acid, it must donate a hydrogen atom to its conjugate base_. Oh my gosh, I actually get this. Curse Uncle Donny for making me knowledgeable!"

"Ooh, Chemistry. I have to admit, I'm kind of surprised."

Logan stopped reading. Something told him that voice didn't belong to his Quinn or any other of his female friends. Cautiously, he set the book down on his lap.

A smiling face with a pink wad of gum in between its teeth immediately caught his attention. "Hi Logan"

"Hey…Mandy…" For this situation, he did not need to dig in his memory to recognize the familiar face; after all, she was the subject of his mini-quarrel with Quinn only moments ago. What he couldn't recognize was her reason to be here. Well, then again, she was his project partner, maybe that was why—but on a Saturday? She definitely wasn't the type of girl to dive into academic assignments. As a matter of fact, she scored a 17 on their last Physics test, while he scored a 69. For once in his life, there was actually someone more stupid than him. Hey, maybe she needed the grade and needed to start early, but regardless, he had to keep his guard up, not wanting to prove Quinn right.

"Well, you don't sound very happy to see me, and usually _everybody_ is happy to see me." She twirled her black painted fingernail around that bleach blonde hair.

"No, it just surprised me to have you talk to me, that's all."

"I wouldn't be so surprised if I were you. We're project partners right? And besides, you are a _very_ special guy."

Logan smirked, but as soon as he realized he was doing that "responding-flirtatiously" thing, he straightened his face and leveled his tone. "Um, special you say?"

"Yeah, one, you're dad is Malcolm Reese, that billionaire movie producer who's probably worth like a fortune, and two, you're like on every single sports team at PCA. That's _incredibly_ special, if you ask me."

Logan covered his mouth inconspicuously stifling a smile (_wait, can you stifle a smile_). Man, did he love his complements, but Quinn's voice just kept ringing in his ear. He didn't want to lead Mandy on, so he tried to direct the conversation elsewhere. "Thanks. So, um, what's up? I mean, did you want something?"

"Man do you sound hasty. Do you not want me here?" She purposely pouted her bottom lip as she said her last words.

Logan fidgeted. What was he supposed to say? _Yeah, see my girlfriend probably hates your guts and it's pretty clear to the whole world you're trying to flirt with me so to save my butt from a potential laser thrashing, I'm gonna have to tell you to go away._ Yeah, right. "No, no, of course not…"

"Good." Mandy—clearly not getting the message—popped some of her gum and sat down directly across from Logan. He internally groaned. "So, about this project thing—"

_That's not so bad, _Logan thought_._ _Maybe she is actually into this Physics thing. See that, Quinn, I got this. And you're all worried for nothin'. _

"—See I have absolutely no idea what we're supposed to do."

"You're not the only one. Stupid Mr. Poprocksi" Logan had to agree with that.

"That's great!"

"Really?"

"Yeah, see since both of us have no idea what we're supposed to do, that makes more time for us to _work together_, if you catch my drift." She slowly began tracing tiny circles on his exposed calf, smiling straight into his eyes.

Logan gulped. Of course he caught her drift; he used to use that line a thousand times on girls. Maybe he spoke too soon. He didn't know how the conversation directed back to this flirtation thing, but he had to get it back to elsewhere and fast. In a panic, he blurted out the one thing he could think of. "I have a girlfriend!" He mentally slapped himself.

Mandy was caught off guard, and he noticed how her face dropped a bit. "Yeah, um, Linn, right?"

"Quinn. Quinn Pensky."

"…Oh…well, she's cool, I guess."

Logan was confused—what was she suggesting? "What does that mean?"

She held nothing back. "Oh Logan, we both know your reputation with girls, almost as good as mine with guys. You having an official girlfriend is sweet and all, but you can be honest with me, we both know this whole thing with…Quinn…won't last long. You're a player, and you need someone who'll make you honor that title. Someone like—" she was cut off by the sound of her cell phone ringing and reached in her bra to answer it.

Logan was so gabberflasted—no wait…_flabbergasted_—he couldn't manage to say a thing. Was this…was this what she thought? Was this what others thought? That his relationship with Quinn was just another _fling_?

Before Logan could object to her words, she closed her phone and smiled before leaning in closer to him. Logan backed his head away as far as he could before the tree blocked his escape. Crap.

"Well, I gotta go, but don't worry, we'll get this project thing figured out eventually. In the meantime…" She tilted her head so her lips were only an inch away from his ear. Logan gulped. "Go away" is what he wanted to say, but for some reason there was a stubborn lump in his throat that wouldn't go away no matter how hard he swallowed. Crap.

"Say hi to your girlfriend for me." She smirked as she pulled away and rose to her feet, making sure she swayed her hips perfectly as she strutted away, fingers twirling that bleach blonde hair.

"W-what?" as if Logan wasn't more confused, he turned his head to his left to see why she made that comment, but as soon as he saw the fuming figure approach him, he wished he hadn't. Quinn, with nostrils flaring, hands on her hips and her foot mercilessly tapping into the ground, gave him the most sinister glare and inched closer to him. Logan knew he should run—he could see the ankle laser under her jeans—but his feet immobilized and wouldn't move. Crap.

"So, Mr. I-Don't-Flirt-With-Every-Girl-I-Talk-To, what was that about?"

"Uh…um…well…she…" what was Logan supposed to say? _She was just telling me how into me she is and how I should dump you and stuff, but you know nothing major_. Yeah, right. It's not like he agreed with a thing she said, it's not like he advanced her in any way, so why does he need to tell her? All it would do is hurt her, and bring up doubts in her head that weren't at all true.

Quinn sensed his trouble and it only made her worried/infuriated more. What was he hiding? "_Uh…um…well…_I don't like the sound of my name coming out of her mouth. Why was she talking about me, Logan?" She was trying very hard to control her tone, but anger still slipped through her teeth.

"Well…she…just wanted to…say what an awesome and beautiful girlfriend I have."

Quinn didn't believe that for a second, which only gave her more proof that he was hiding something—and the fact that he was hiding something only sent more hurt to her heart. Didn't he just get through assuring her that he was going to make sure nothing went on between them? She was only gone for what—one minute, two minutes top, and return to see that blonde skanky temptress whispering things about her in his ear. Was he that entranced that he didn't even realize she was standing only five feet away from him and could here those last words perfectly?

"Right. Well why your trying to conduct ways to save your lying butt from the pain I _so_ want to inflict on you, say hi to the trashcan for me."

"Huh?"

Without warning she drove her foot in his side and pushed him with as much force as she could down the hill. She set her jaw and grabbed her book to stomp away, just as Logan's head hit the trashcan at the bottom of the hill causing it to fall on top of him—along with all of its trashy goodness. Crap.

* * *

"Yes I am—Zoey?"

Zoey gave her famous welcoming smile as James stared at her, mouth agape. "Really, because last time I checked _I_ was Zoey and _you_ were James."

He quickly realized his ridiculous expression and shook out of it. "Well," he managed to find something witty to say, "I guess you're right, because according to the name stitched into my underwear I am James."

"So, James, are you going to let me in so we can talk or make me stand here in the hallway like an idiot?"

"Oh trust me," he murmured not intending for her to hear, "you're not the one that feels like an idiot right now," which was true. He was the one fidgeting with his feet and babbling about meaningless underwear while she seemed calm and collected—like the Zoey he remembered. Without realizing it, he smiled at the thought. She still had that humor and personality he loved. Maybe giving her the necklace and explaining what happened wouldn't be as hard as he made it seem. It would be just like before, just like when they were friends. Good.

He stepped aside and motioned for Zoey to enter. She gave him a quick smile and walked in—hands carefully in the back pockets of her shorts. As her head was turned from his face, however, that smile faded as she nervously bit his lip. He was anxious about something, and knowing he was anxious made her anxious. _Friends_ aren't anxious around _friends_. She knew James, and she knew the way he acted when he had to tell her something, something important. She so had to stop him before he did—after all, wasn't that her entire purpose for coming here?

"So," she decided to begin with casual conversation, "is the single yours? I recognize your bag on the mattress."

"Uh, yeah," James also thought the gentle conversation was a good distraction from the necklace in his right pocket. "Jeremiah was cool enough to let me have it."

"PCA's own Jeremiah Trotman as a roomy, huh? What's that like—besides getting a free public announcement on the Saturday news—?"

"Well, it's not that bad—sometimes—but it's only been one day so I can't really tell."

"Oh, so who's your other roommate?"

"Do you know Tristan Clark?"

Zoey thought for a moment then nodded as she began to remember. "…Isn't he the member of the swim team that got academic suspension for a week for running across the football field on the night of the North Shores game in a Speedo?"

"Ding ding ding! That was hilarious, but don't ask him to retell the story or he'll get extremely aggravated."

"Okay, I won't mention a thing to Speedo Boy."

"Great. Oh, and don't call him Speedo Boy. He hates that, too."

"Man?"

"No."

"Lad?"

"Nope, tried it."

"How about Dude?"

"Hm...Speedo Dude. Hey, that's kinda catchy."

They both engaged in a comfortable laugh—what a great way to ease the tension they were feeling. However, Tristan the Speedo Dude eventually became a weak topic and the laughter died down, replaced with silence and (of course) awkwardness. James scratched the back of his head and Zoey bit her lip, both not sure how to form their next sentence. They had very important things to say, but neither knew how to start.

"So I have—"

"So I need—"

They stopped when they realized they interrupted each other. A chuckle was released before it was silent again. Zoey was the first to finally speak.

"You go first," she said, but as soon as she said it she regretted it. What if this was when he was going to admit his never-ending love for her—or something along that line—?

"No, I think you should go first," he offered, but as soon as he said it he regretted it. He had the necklace in his pocket literally one inch away from his hand. She came to him—for whatever reason—and this was the perfect opportunity to return it and set things straight. Why didn't he? Darn him and his politeness.

"Okay," Zoey didn't hesitate and snatched the opportunity, "Well, it's great to have you back."

"Really?" That wasn't what he expected her to say. She hesitated over that?

"Yeah, James, I mean you were and awesome person and we all love you." She paused, sighed, and continued talking. "I…I know things didn't work out between us…but there's something about that I want to talk about."

"What?" Now James _really_ wasn't expecting her to say that. How did this conversation lead to their broken relationship so fast? If this was what she wanted to talk about, what else was on her mind that could possibly make her bring that up? And why did the necklace suddenly feel it gained ten pounds?

"Well…I've been avoiding this for a long while because you were gone, but now that you're back there's really no use trying to anymore…"

James' pulse quickened with each word that escaped from Zoey's lips.

"…The way you left, I didn't want it to end that way—so abruptly. You're such an amazing guy, and your so special to me, but—wait, I just realized how rude I've been; how is your grandfather, after all that is why you left."

James couldn't believe what he was hearing. In that same instant, every careful word he planned on telling her completely crashed down on him. His head began spinning in shock and confusion. What Zoey was saying…it was so weird yet surprising and…and unexpected. Did she really…? Man, was he flustered. It took him a minute to realize her completely off topic question about his grandfather.

"He's… Zoey, what exactly are you saying?"

Zoey took a deep breath. She didn't want to hurt his feelings with the classic let's-just-be-friends, but she wasn't clear last time and she needed to be. _Stop beating around the bush_, she repeated in her head. "I'm saying that I—"

"Zoey? What are you doing here? With…James?"

Both heard that oh-so familiar voice that jolted them out of their deep conversation and turned to unfortunately discover a confused Chase standing in the doorway.

"Chase!" Zoey blurted out and shot a quick and cautious glance at James before turning back. "What are you doing here?"

"I was about to head to my dorm for my cell to call you. I've been looking for you—hey! I asked you first."

"I was…" what was she supposed to say? _I think James is still in love with me so I came here without talking to you first in hopes of talking him out of it._ Yeah, right. (_Oh,_ _I love doing that!_) She knew Chase, and that would only make him worry a thousand times more.

"She was on her way looking for you when she saw me through my open door. I asked her in so we could catch up, that's all." James was always good at taking the position of covering up bad situations.

Despite her current state of confusion, Zoey quickly caught on. "Right! I wanted to see if you wanted to go to Sushi Rox with me. I hear Kazu has put a new meal on the menu and I thought you'd like to try it out."

"Okay…" There was something about that explanation that didn't sit right with him. Wasn't it just a bit ironic that he's been looking for her all day to tell her about James, and when he found her, she's standing inches away from him in his dorm room? But…he loved sushi and knew Zoey would never lie so he through his suspicions out the window—_for now_. Besides, that feeling was replaced with disappointment as he saw the two standing next to each other in front of him. Obviously his plan of sitting her down and telling her that he ran into James was completely ruined. Wait, did he already tell her about their run in? Would Zoey be mad that he kept it from her? Nervousness and guilt began to course through him.

"So," he started, "I guess you already know that we bumped into each other last night, huh?"

"You two bumped into each other?" That definitely surprised Zoey. She shifted glances from Chase to James, James to Chase, and so on. Now that she thought about it, it was strange that he recognized him when he's never seen his face before. Okay, so from what she could articulate from her emotions she was relieved, angered, and terrified: relieved because she no longer had to deal with the trouble of telling Chase that he was back, angered because neither of the boys told her about their little meeting, and terrified because she had no idea if they talked or what their impression were on each other.

"Yeah," James once again explained the situation as if it were his job, "I was coming from Ms. Bervich's office and looking for my new dorm and Chase was coming toward my direction. I had all these bags…I guess I couldn't see where I was going very well and _crash_. I'm pretty sure you can imagine the mental picture."

"No, dude, it was totally my fault. I was rushing to deliver my purse—well, not my purse—"

"Yeah, right, sure," assured James.

"—and I was running so blindly that I didn't watch were I was going, or who was in front of me."

"Well, I say it's my fault, you say it's yours. Let's just agree to disagree, okay?"

"Cool with me."

Zoey's mouth hung open and she occasionally shook her mouth in bewilderment. She couldn't believe what she was seeing: Chase, her current boyfriend, and James, her ex-boyfriend, were not only conversing, but conversing in a friendly manner. The rage, the awkwardness, the bloody noses and clenched fists, all that she imagined in her head were not there. She was either extremely lucky or in an alternate universe. Hm…she wondered which one was it?

"Wow, first the morning announcements, and now this," commented Zoey.

"Wait—what about the morning announcements?" This was something Chase didn't catch.

"Jeremiah Trotman put me on the PCA news this morning. Yeah, he had trouble with an opener so for some reason he thought I was the perfect fit."

"So…everyone knows you're back?" So much for being the first to know

"Everyone who was listening to the news," said Zoey. She still couldn't believe Chase was taking this so well. Maybe she was just extremely lucky. Well, she didn't want to push that luck so she thought of something quickly to get him out of here. She knew she still needed to talk to James, but for now it could wait. "So, now that we've all reacquainted, how about that sushi, Chase?" She walked toward her boyfriend and hooked her arm around his. Hopefully that'll make him feel less suspicious.

"O…kay," obeyed Chase. He couldn't help but feel Zoey was rushing him, that she wanted to leave. He glanced back at James who was rocking back and forth from his right leg. Was there something more going on? No…he had to suppress down his stupid suspicions. It could be awkward for any girl to be in the same room with her ex. Knowing Zoey, she probably just didn't want to admit it. The couple turned and headed for the door before Chase stopped in his tracks. His manners over took him. "Hey, James, you're glad to come with us if you want."

Zoey slapped her head against her palm. Great.

James wasn't an idiot. As nice as Chase's offer was, he could sense it was out of pity or a sense of obligation or something. Besides, he could clearly see Zoey's troubled expression behind his shoulder. After what she just (almost) told him, it would be best if he wasn't near Chase right now. "No, that's okay. I got a racecar poster with no place to go. Maybe I'll check you guys later."

"Alright, let's go, Zoey." He wrapped an arm around her waist and began walking out the door. Zoey complied, but gave a last glance over her shoulder at James before disappearing from his sight.

_That was…completely not awkward at all_, he thought. He ran a hand through his hair and puffed out an exasperated sigh. Great, so much for his plan. Everything completely backfired on him. She was right there—_right there_—and instead of giving back the necklace, he stood there like an idiot as she…told him some very interesting things instead. His mind rewound back to her words.

…_The way you left, I didn't want it to end that way—so abruptly. You're such an amazing guy, and you're so special to me…_

He knew he shouldn't overreact or overanalyze, but there was no way he could get past what he was thinking. He reached in his pocket and let the necklace dangle from his fingers.

"Zoey's still in love with me…"

* * *

**A/N: Woah, wasn't expecting that now were you? Hehehe I love the ChaseXZoeyXJames confusion. I wonder what's gonna happen…hmm… I just love writing for Mandy; she's so…devilish. I never act like that so writing that type of personality is so fun! Poor Quinn. I wish I could say this is the climax of their problems but I can't because it's not! Let's just say it's not a smooth ride from here. And once again I want to apologize for my crappy internet!! So, since I have nothing else to allude to because I want to keep up the suspense. Hm, I'm bored now. Lalalalala… Oops! I almost forgot:**

**Z101 Trivia Moment Woo!: Last week, Jamie Lynn Spears gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, yay! **_**What is the name of her daughter?**_** (I so love this name!) Remember, the first person to review with the correct answer gets a clue as to what happens in later chapters. Okay, gotta go, but I luvya! **


	5. Nightmare in Room 101

**A/N: Helloooo good people of ! I'm glad this one didn't take me two weeks to update lol. I firstly want to thank all you awesome people that read/reviewed chapter 4. I know that title sucked, yes, yes it did, but I had a brain fart and couldn't think of anything better. Now, while typing up this chappie I was listening to Miley Cyrus' **_**7 Things**_** and I couldn't stop thinking about Logan and Quinn! So, I wrote a little songfic about the adorable couple and I loved the fluffyness! Unfortunately, **_**this**_** story has a long way to go before things are completely fluffy between the two. Well, I don't know what else to say so I'm gonna shut up now and let you people read.**

**DISCLAIMER: To own Zoey 101 or not to own Zoey 101. That is the question. …Well, it's not actually because I DON'T own Zoey 101; no ifs ands or buts.**

**Logan: Lol, she said butts. (parody off of episode **_**The Great Vince Blake**_**)**

* * *

"So, please tell me again why we're doing this because I'm having a hard time understanding."

The sun blazed in the California sky and warmed the water that was underneath Michael's feet. Just outside of the boys dorm a dunking booth was set courtesy of Lola Martinez. She had her hands on her hips and smiling satisfactory at her work in front of her. Michael was in swim trunks obviously in the booth half confused and half panicked.

"I told you already, Michael," she called, "this is apart of your healing process. I'm _helping_ you."

"Yeah, you told me that, but what you didn't tell me is why I'm sitting in this booth and why a basket of baseballs are next to you." Of course it was coming together in his head, but maybe if he asked enough questions he could distract her from this potentially dangerous plan.

"It's a simple exercise, okay?" Oh how Lola was enjoying this. The idea just popped in her head and she had to admit, this was the best one yet. This dunking booth was the perfect way to get him through the first step. "Now, I'm going to say a few things and I want you to say whether you agree or not."

"And that's all?"

"Yep, pretty much."

Yeah, right. That was never all when it came to Lola. On second thought, maybe he didn't need this. Maybe if he sulked just enough he could eventually get over his pain and heartache. Time was the key. Time solves everything. Yep, that and television. So, if he just made a run for it…

"And don't even think about making a run for it." Lola could so read his mind.

"Why not? The door to the dorm is right over there, and you're all the way over there."

"I suppose, except for the part that I put super glue on your chair before you sat down." She pulled out the bottle from behind her back (_in that weird cartoony way_) and smiled.

_No way_, he thought, _she's bluffing_. He tried desperately to wiggle out as soon as she said it, but it was no use. Crap. "Alright, you got me. Just go on now so I can get this over with."

"Okeedokee!" she paused for a second to come up with something in her head then spoke again. "The reason why you and Lisa were late to that Rockberry concert was because you didn't get the tickets on time. Agree or disagree?"

While Michael sat there against his will, he couldn't help but think back to that time. It was the second week of school and the gang decided to chill out at a rock concert. The couples each went separately at the box office to claim their tickets, but because the tires on his car blew out, he and Lisa were two minutes late to get their tickets. He had to…um...let's just say some pretty embarrassing and shameful things to get those tickets (_coughshirtlesscough_). But anyway, what did that have to do with this? "Yes…I agree."

"WRONG ANSWER!" and with that Lola grabbed a baseball and flung it at the target, making Michael's chair slip down into the water, drowning him in the chlorine liquid. In about ten seconds, the chair automatically rose revealing a very damp and angered boy.

"What was that for, woman!?"

"Lisa told me some college student mistook your car for her cheating boyfriend's and slashed the tires as a way of revenge."

Oh, yeah. Michael may have left out that part. "…but it was still my car. And it was my fault for parking a block away from the campus. But still, you dunked me!"

Lola rolled her eyes. Maybe this was going to be harder than she thought. Hopefully he'll get this next one. "Alright, next: Remember that time when you two missed that crazy ten minute sale at the school store? Well, that was all because you didn't get the message from your cell. Agree or disagree?"

Again, she had to bring up another way he disappointed his girlfriend. Wasn't she supposed to be helping him not hurting him? "Yeah, I agree, look, why are you—"

"WRONG ANSWER!" Lola chucked another baseball and again Michael was dunked in the water. "Dustin accidentally dropped your phone in the toilet, remember?" she called.

"Seriously, what did I do to deserve this torture!?"

"Didn't you just here me? You gave the wrong answer!"

"But maybe if I had a clue as to what answer you were looking for—"

"Too late! I'm moving on! Now, please get this one right, man!" She started to deliver another past situation but suddenly decided against it. No, she was going to go for the big daddy. This could possibly damage his already broken heart, but baby steps were for losers. She wanted the old Michael back and didn't like to wait. "It's your fault Lisa wanted to leave! You didn't give her a reason to stay, now agree or disagree." She stared at him hard; even he wouldn't dare think—

"YES! YES YES YES YES! Si! However you say 'yes' in different languages. It's my fault! I wasn't man enough for her to stay! It's true! It's all truuuuueee!" His tears blended in with the water that already existed on his face, but that didn't stop his breakdown as he poured all his sadness out. He could have done so many things to make her stay! He could've forced her, he could've let her know all the things he felt about her, how much he cared for her. He could've at least begged and pleaded and graveled at her feet (well, more than he did, anyway). The truth hurt, but in his case it burned a sickening and bottomless hole in his heart. He failed at his himself; he failed at his relationship; he failed at life.

"UGH! WRONG ANSWER!!" more aggravated, she threw the baseball harder at the target. He fell in the water, but instead of yelling and complaining when he merged, he sulked and cried even harder.

"Oh, Michael, stop this!" Part of Lola felt extremely guilty for replanting that thought in his head, but that was replaced with frustration and a stronger determination to prove him wrong about himself. She walked over to him and pulled his hands away from his face. "Please, stop."

"Why? You're right. you know you are, you even said it. I'm a miserable chump who did absolutely nothing from keeping his girlfriend from moving to New Hampshire—which I now know is in the northeastern region of the country. I'm going back to meh-ing."

"Okay, Mr. Relapse Man, listen to me. What I said was not true and you know it. If these questions made up your SAT you would never get into college."

She always said something about getting a wrong answer. What did that mean? "Just what are you talking about already?"

"This was your first test in order to heal from your Lisa wounds and move on. You were supposed to _disagree_ with everything I said."

"Why? It was all true."

Lola sighed. This was going to be harder than she thought. "No, no it wasn't! The bad things that happened between you and Lisa weren't your fault. Did you break up with that psycho college lady? No. Did you tell Dustin to take your phone in the bathroom? No. And did you write an acceptance letter to that fancy dancing school across the country? _No_."

It was hard for Michael to admit it, especially since Lisa was blocking his other thoughts again, but Lola may've had something. "But…"

"_But_ nothing. You know what your problem is? Instead of blaming the world for things that go wrong, you blame yourself. The reason why it's so hard for you to get past this is because you think it's your fault in the first place. I bet you'd blame yourself for the stock market crashing if you lived during the 1930s."

"Well, my great grandfather did make some pretty poor investments…"

"Michael, you're an amazing guy. What makes you an awesome boyfriend is that you become the sweetest person and you'll give the world to whatever girl you're with. But because of that, when something goes wrong you'll turn it back to yourself in some way, shape, or form. You can't do that anymore, Michael. You need to give yourself some credit and accept the fact that Lisa left because of her dance scholarship, not because you weren't man enough for her. If this is what she really wanted, then no one could've stopped her from making that choice—not even you."

He sat quietly as his ears took it all in. He had to hear it. It was hard for him, but he had to take in Lola's words, he knew that. Wasn't he the one that said he was going to do whatever it takes to get over this and move on with his life? Right now he wasn't doing a good job of that, but he had to try harder. "Your bluntness is somewhat appreciated. …Do you really think I was an awesome boyfriend?" Hey, he wasn't _that_ depressed that he couldn't take a compliment. He needed all the ego boosting he could get.

"The awesomest. And hey, good luck to Lisa for trying to find a New Hampshire boy as funny and as sweet as you."

"Thanks, Lola, for getting me out of that hole, again. I guess I can be a tad overdramatic."

"_A tad_?" she snorted. "More like a thousand tads and three smidges. But, it's all for a friend. So what do you think of my plan so far?"

"Well, I'm definitely not healed yet. I have a lot of rebuilding myself to do. But I do bet you _can_ help me through this (kinda)."

"Yay! Now to celebrate your mini-breakthrough, let's get you out of those wet clothes and catch a bite to eat."

"Oh, yeah sure, but I think you're forgetting a tiny detail: my BUTT is glued to the chair."

Lola quickly stifled a laugh as she looked down. "No actually, your _shorts_ are glued to the chair."

"Yeah, but how is that going to—" he looked back and forth between his shorts and a giggling Lola as his mind slowly began to get the picture. "You're not thinking I…"

Lola bit her lip and nodded, still trying not to burst out in laughter.

"Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no…"

* * *

"Woo, Michael!"

"Lookin' good!"

"Hey buddy!"

"Oh my gosh!"

That and more amused whistles came from the campus as Michael cringed while scurrying down quickly to Maxwell Hall for clothes, wearing Lola's cotton blue sweater as a fashion statement around his…well…you know…man parts. Lola walked next to him, cracking up among the rest of the crowds.

"You're right," she mused, "You are ninety percent abs and ten percent Leroy's Potato Chips."

"Ah, shaddup!"

* * *

"Quinn! Quinn! Quinn!"

Logan walked through the courtyard looking for his girlfriend. He decided to take his time since he still had to conjure up an explanation in his head of why she saw what she just saw. He also had to make sure he got off all the banana peels and empty gum wrappers from his clothes (seriously, a lot of students at PCA must love their daily dose of potassium because there were a lot of banana peels in that trash can)._ It was nothing_, he kept on repeating to himself. Well, if it was nothing, why did Mandy's words still stick to him like they did? He couldn't describe it very well since he's never been in this kind of predicament, but they bothered him, made him uneasy, and seriously made him think. Did she…? No, this seriously thinking thing was seriously hurting his brain. He hated potential drama, and didn't want to deal with it right now. So, he was just going to find Quinn, tell her this was just a huge misunderstanding, and move on with his day.

He was about to end his search in the courtyard when a force bumped into his back. He turned around ready to lash out at whoever made him stumble. "Dude, what's your—Mark?"

Mark DelFigello staggered back a bit and put his hands in his pockets. "Sorry, Logan, I was just looking for someone."

Logan was about to blow him off when a thought came to his head. "That person wouldn't be Quinn, would it?"

"Why, are you looking for her?"

"…maybe."

"Well I thought you of all people would know where she is considering how she stormed out of the courtyard murmuring obscenities under her breath about you," which was true. He still had questions and ideas he had to run through about their project, but Quinn was the one to end their session on account of she wanted to get back to Logan and didn't want to make him wait. Yeah, it was a bit disappointing seeing as how that was the second time in almost six months that they spent any time together and he was rather enjoying himself, but you know, what could he do? After all, Logan _was_ her boyfriend now, even if it was a pretty…odd sight to see. Hm, he never thought about that before…hm…

"She was? I mean, yeah, well, you know, it wasn't anything serious or anything; we're cool. I just wanna, you know, know where she is, that's all," only that was the complete opposite of what Logan was feeling. Was she that upset? She didn't see that much—otherwise he would've already had a black eye—but it was still enough to anger her? Uh oh, he was in major doodie.

"Well, she walked into the girls' hall, but that's all I saw. Sorry." To be honest, he wasn't all that sorry. By her looks she was pretty pissed, and it sounded like he could care less. Some boyfriend. Hm…

Logan suspiciously looked him up and down, making sure he wasn't hiding anything. He would have a pretty good reason to do so (coughjealousycough), but he had no time to hate Mark; he had to find Quinn. "Yeah, I gotta go." He was about to head off, but he was stopped once again.

"Hold up," said Mark and his hands reached for Logan's backside. _Uh_, Logan thought, _should I contact an adult?_

"You have a banana peel stuck to your butt," and with that, he grabbed it and with one quick inspection, he shrugged his shoulders and took a bite. Mmm, his favorite snack.

Logan gave him the weirdest look and slowly backed away, wanting to get away from this bizarre moment as fast as possible. Once again, the thought entered his mind: _What did Quinn see in him? _

* * *

"Quinn? Quinn?" Yes, Logan continued his search now in the girls' lounge. Luckily he didn't have to look long because he quickly spotted a brunette sitting cross-legged on the couch ahead of him. He should've checked twice to make sure it was her, but he was too desperate to be forgiven and also a bit too hard headed. He crept slowly up behind the brown-haired girl and snaked his hands around her neck.

"There's my sexy, adorable—STACEY!?" Oh, the irony. The horrible, horrible, irony. How in the world could he mistake his Quinn for Stacey Dilson? And since when did Stacey curl her hair?

Stacey swung around in shock. "Logan? You think I'm sexy and adorable, nerh (_okay, you know that weird noise she makes at almost all the end of her sentences? Well, that's what that is_)."

Logan was about to heavily object, but was interrupted by, of course, Quinn, who's timing couldn't be more perfect. What a way to make an awkward and uncomfortable situation worse.

"Yet again you just can't take your hands off another girl just vowing for your attention, can you? Seriously, Logan." She was about to storm off again, but Logan quickly ran to stop her. Now this one wasn't his fault, and he couldn't make her run off again.

"Wait, wait, baby, wait."

Quinn reluctantly turned around and crossed her arms. "Yes?" She knew that even though she was extremely mad, he had to have a good explanation, and that it was only fair to let him try to explain.

"Look, I know what you saw looked bad, but you have to believe me, nothing happened."

She shook her head. Honestly, she was expecting something much better than that. "And why exactly should I believe you?"

Logan got tripped up on her reply for a second. "Uh…because I'm right?"

Quinn rolled her eyes. "Bye, Logan."

"No, wait! I mean…well, nothing happened, that's what I mean."

"Logan, she was leaning against you, hand on your leg, and whispering in your ear to 'say hi to your girlfriend for me'. Last time I checked, I _am_ your girlfriend and that gives me a right to be a tad angered."

"The way that trashcan slammed into my head I wouldn't consider that a tad angered." He murmured not intending for her to hear.

"What?"

"I mean," he sighed, trying to get his words right in his head and not screw up again. "I know, okay _I know_ that sounds bad, and I know that Mandy may intimidate you—"

Quinn raised her eyebrows and shot him a look as if she was just insulted. Quinn? Intimidated? By a skanky temptress? Please.

Logan noticed the look and quickly corrected himself. "—or annoy you, but there's no need for that. She was just talking; that's what girls like her do. Yes, I admit that she was trying to flirt with me, but she was just trying, not succeeding." He stifled the urge to pat himself on the back for that awesome statement and took her hand in his, holding it tightly to make sure she wouldn't let go. He stared deep into her eyes, which was an unfair advantage on her part considering how weak they made her.

"I did nothing to urge her, I promise. How can I even think about her when I have you—wait, I still have you, don't I?"

Quinn bit her lip while still hopelessly staring into his eyes. She was a strong and independent woman—or teenage girl—so she shouldn't cave in so quickly. But, that schoolgirl part of her mentioned earlier just thought he was so…so sweet and determined and loyal. She could see in his eyes that he was willing to stand here all night if that meant convincing her that nothing happened; no matter what deadly glare she gave him he wouldn't crack. Aw… So, she came to the decision that this was a waste of time. Maybe she should just forgive him and move on. But first…

"Only if you promise me that that is ALL that happened; that that was ALL she was trying to do. No evil manipulation or anything." Her eyes stayed focused on him waiting for his answer.

Now it was Logan's turn to bite his lip. Great, now Mandy's words immediately entered his mind: _You having an official girlfriend is sweet and all, but you can be honest with me, we both know this whole thing with…Quinn…won't last long. You're a player, and you need someone who'll make you honor that title… _The last time he checked his dictionary, manipulation was exactly what she was up to. It was only a sentence or two, but they just kept on repeating in his brain over and over. Basically, she wanted him to dump Quinn—his Quinn—for her. At least, he was pretty sure that's what "someone like…" meant. No, he couldn't think that—he wouldn't think that. No matter what people thought, Quinn was his, and he loved her, which was why he decided her words didn't matter. But, he also knew Quinn wouldn't see it that way. He knew her and how she overreacted. He didn't want her to go through all that worry for nothing. So…he had to…lie. Yes, that sounded bad, but what else was he supposed to do?

"I promise, baby." He kissed the top of her head for emphasis and hopefully to hid his nervousness.

There was a small voice in the back of her head that wanted to question him yet again, but she fought against that voice and accepted his words. She loved him, she knew that much, and that much was just enough for her…for now.

"Okay, I forgive you." With her other hand she grabbed onto his hand already in hers and motioned for him to wrap it around her shoulder. They began walking out of the lounge, but Logan couldn't help but feel as if the storm wasn't over.

"Really?"

"Yep. But for payback, you're going to be my guinea pig for my latest experiment; I need someone to test it on."

Logan cringed. The storm was definitely no over. "What is it?" he dared to ask.

"An electrical viral assimilator."

"Is it going to hurt?"

"Aw…yeah, pretty much."

* * *

"Is it here? No. Is it here? No. How about here? Yes—wait, no. UGH!" It was 10:45, and Zoey was on the floor of her closet, waist deep in her collection of purses, digging in each and every one in hopes of finding James necklace. Why she was doing this, you ask (_I'm going to assume that you did_)? Well, after that horribly awkward moment between her and James in his dorm, she had a surprisingly wonderful day with Chase. He told her stories and made her laugh. He was his funny, loving, and slightly uncoordinated self that she loved and not once did he ask her about James or what happened earlier. That only proved what an awesome and amazingly sweet boyfriend he was, and if she was at least going to be up to par with that she had to set James straight and get this burden off her chest. She was absolutely committed to Chase, and nothing was going to change that. So, now she was ready to handle James' necklace and give it back to him. Then, she'll yell in his face, "I LOVE CHASE!" Yeah, that's it. Well, it would be as soon as she found the darn thing.

"Oh, come on, you cannot tell me that's not funny."

"I've been telling you it's not funny for the past five minutes already."

"I don't know why because it's funny!"

"No, it's not."

Zoey could hear the voices of her two roommates entering the room. She poked her head out of the closet door.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"More like what's so _not_ funny," commented Quinn, setting her bag down on her bottom bunk.

Lola rolled her eyes and threw off her shoes. "Whatever, she's just suffering from a tumor on her funny bone. It really is a serious disease."

"I do not have a tumor on my funny bone. There's no such thing—I should know."

"It's not my fault you never laugh at Michael's jokes."

"It's not my fault I don't find his jokes amusing. He's funny enough when he's not trying to be funny."

"But you have to admit what he did was hilariously hilarious."

Zoey had to interrupt considering she was so confused. "What did he do?"

"Well, we were walking along the sidewalk when he said—why are you buried in purses in the closet?" She pointed to all the bags covering her legs.

"Oh, I'm looking for James' necklace."

Quinn was now distracted from the previous conversation. "Oh, yeah, he is back at PCA. But, what are you planning to do with the necklace, Zo?"

"I'm planning to give it back to him so I can move on with my life."

"But what's there to move on from? I thought you two made a clean break?"

"I thought so, too, until I found the necklace and saw him and his stupid gorgeous green eyes staring back at me pleading to tell me something important. What if he tells me something I don't want to hear?"

"Well, maybe you should—"

"Hush! I'm gonna answer my own question. I'm going to stop him before that happens, that's what. So, to do that I have to give him back his necklace, but I can't find it!" she turned to Lola. "Lola, you were the one that put it back in here. Where did you hide it?"

Lola thought back to yesterday. "Um…oh, yeah, in one of your purses."

"That's specific," Zoey dripped sarcasm over her words.

"Hold on… It was a green bag with small Ds stitched into the handle. Um…I think the label said it was a Danicci."

At that moment Zoey's world froze. A green Danicci bag? A green Danicci bag. A green Danicci bag! Oh, darn it! She hopped from the closet ran to practically dig her nails into Lola's shoulders. She began shaking her ferociously. "A green Danicci bag!? Woman, do you know what you just did!?"

"No, but I do know my shoulders are going to start bleeding in ten seconds if you don't let go."

"I can handle blood! What I can't handle is the look on Chase's face when he sees James' necklace that he doesn't know exists!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Grr!" Zoey was not a violent person, but she seriously felt like destroying something right now. Quinn slowly began motioning toward the two, trying to talk Zoey down. "Come on, Zo, just rest on your bed and I don't have to use my knowledge of pressure points on you, okay?"

Even though her head was spinning, that much she could understand so she let go of Lola's shoulders and followed the path to her bed.

"Now," instructed Quinn, "take a deep breath."

Zoey did as ordered.

"Release."

Zoey did as ordered.

"And now tell us what's wrong."

Zoey sighed before continuing. "Well, when Chase was over here last night he needed a gift for his sister's birthday—"

"Wait," interrupted Lola, "Chase has a sister?"

"Yeah, anyway, to help him with his gift problems I gave him that same green Danicci bag to give to her! And now he probably has a billion questions swimming in his head, the first one being why does he have such a horrible girlfriend!"

"Look, Look," Lola thought of something that was sure to calm her down. "You don't have to worry. If Chase knew the necklace was in that purse then he would've totally flipped out by now."

"That is a very Chase thing to do," commented Quinn.

"Exactly, so it's obvious that he shipped it off without knowing. So, no worries! You're in the clear."

"Yeah," said Zoey, "you know until Holly looks in her present, finds a gorgeous golden necklace and says, 'Who's James? That's not my husband'. Then what?"

"Well…" Lola was about to answer, but paused thinking more of her plan. She opened her mouth again to speak, but closed it. No, that wouldn't work. She opened, but wait, she closed again. "Another problem for another day," she finally decided.

"Thanks!" but as she was turning away, Zoey quickly grabbed her big yellow pillow (her very infamous head bopping pillow) and chucked it at the back of Lola's head.

"Hey!"

"Well," she rose, "I'm going to brush my teeth and wash my face in sorrow," and she was soon out the door.

Lola sighed and pulled her hair out of her pigtails. "Relationship drama; good thing I don't have that."

"Yeah," agreed Quinn sitting on her bed, "same here."

All of a sudden a burst of laughter escaped from Lola's mouth. Quinn gave her a strange look. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I just thought you said you have no relationship problems."

"Uh, yeah, I did. So…?"

"_So_, wasn't it you who called me on my phone earlier yelling _Logan_ this and _Make-Out Mandy_ that and shouting stuff like," she began impersonating her voice, "Oh my gosh, I can't stand him! He's such a pompous idiot!" Lola was just ending her bite to eat with Michael when she got the call. On the outside, she was there for her friend, but on the inside, she so knew this was coming. It was only strike one of how Logan was somehow going to screw up their relationship. She knew it was only a matter of time.

"Okay, one, my voice so doesn't sound like that, and two, we made up, remember?"

"Yeah," she murmured, "for now."

Quinn gave her a hard look and rose from her bed. Must she remind her that she had perfect hearing? "And what exactly are you trying to say?"

"What I've being trying to say for the past six months: he's. An. Idiot."

"Yes, yes! I know! And…?"

"And it's only a matter of time before you realize that and dump his sorry butt."

"Okay, his but may be sorry but it's perfectly toned, and—hey, hold on a second; I thought you two were friends?"

"Oh, we are of course, but being friends, I am completely exposed to his douchebaggyness and seeing as how you are my best friend, I don't want you exposed to it, too."

Quinn sighed. She hated going through this with Lola. "No one knows his douchebaggyness more than I do."

"And yet you're still with him!" Now that was something Lola didn't get.

"Yes, I am because I love him. Now, if we're done here I'd like to get ready for bed." With that said she walked in the closet and began looking for some PJs. It was silent for a while before Lola just couldn't keep her mouth shut.

"Just please refresh my memory: what do you see in him that us—his friends—don't see?"

Quinn released a heavy sigh and was about to just ignore her, but thought again. Maybe this could be the chance to make Lola see what she saw in him everyday. Well, there was the fact that she tried that like a million times, but how could a million and one hurt? "Well," she began, "he's funny, considerate, a really passionate guy when it comes to some things. He knows just the right thing to do to make me smile, he actually pays attention to what I say even if he can't understand a word of it, and he remembers the tiniest details about me like I'm allergic to cinnamon."

_She's allergic to cinnamon, _thought Lola.

"And I know he has his not-so-tender moments—"

"Pff. That's the understatement of the century."

"BUT, he's amazing to me and he makes me feel beautiful and normal and well…special. So damn that Mandy Franklin; I'm not gonna let her—or you—make me change my mind about how I feel. So there."

Lola was silent for a while as she took her words in. Finally, she was able to speak. "…wow…"

"So do you finally get it?" she asked hopefully.

"Nope, not at all."

Quinn sighed. "You just don't see him like I do, Lola. He's like…like…like those Sour Patch Kids commercials. First he's sour, then he's sweet." She started daydreaming like a little schoolgirl again at the thought of his sweet side.

Lola was silent again. "…wow…"

"So do you finally get it?"

"Nope, not at all."

"UGH!" Quinn decided to let it go and went back to grabbing some pajama pants. Lola was about to start brushing her hair when she was stopped by her phone ringing. She grabbed her phone from her bag on her bed and as soon as she read the screen she answered.

"Hello?"

…

"Oh, hey Michael!" Quinn poked her head when she heard Lola on the phone.

…

"Not much, getting ready for bed. You?"

…

"No, you can keep the sweater—even though it's not your color."

…

"Hahaha, yeah, I remember. How could I forget?"

…

"Sorry, SHE DIDN'T THINK IT WAS FUNNY." She turned up the volume of her voice just to make sure Quinn heard her. Quinn rolled her eyes. "Well, it wasn't," she whispered.

…

"I said it was hilariously hilarious."

…

"Yeah. Hey, did you ever get those chopsticks out of your nose?"

…

"Ouch, must have hurt."

…

Lola let out another hearty laugh. "I totally would have done the same thing."

…

"Anyway, it's getting late. We gotta sleep so we can start your next challenge tomorrow."

…

"Wait—are those the shorts with the blue basketballs and footballs on them?"

…

"Didn't Lisa buy those for you last year?"

…

"So you're not allowed to wear them."

…

"Because I said so, that's why!"

…

"Well, fine then."

…

Lola snickered. "No, I'm not mad."

…

"Alrighty then."

…

"Nighty night." She then hung up.

Quinn was now in her nightwear and sat cross legged on her bottom bunk carefully analyzing Lola's and Michael's conversation. "So, you're still helping Michael with his Lisa problems?"

"Yep, why?"

"Oh, nothing, I just find it sweet that you're helping him is all."

"Well, he's my friend; of course I'd help him. And besides, we had so much fun at Sushi Rox! He—"

Quinn was able to finish her sentence. "I know! I know! He stuffed forty-eight spicy tuna rolls in his mouth on a dare. Then he told you the story of how he broke all the mirrors at his ballet recital when he was six and you laughed so hard you choked on your yellow tail. He gave you the Heimlich maneuver, you thanked him, and then you guys started having a conversation about 'Who was Heimlich?' and 'Who decided his maneuver was so great?' Yep."

Lola paused. "…Hey, Quinn, am I annoying you?"

"No, it's just weird how you two have so much in common. I've never really realized it before."

"Yeah, I never really noticed, either. But he's cute, smart, and extremely funny. I don't get why Lisa decided to leave so soon. If I was his girlfriend—"

Quinn caught onto something and smiled mischievously at the thought. "If you were his girlfriend…"

Lola gave her a look for she didn't like what Quinn was possibly thinking. "Yeah, if. IF, but I'm not, so whatever stupid little plot is planting in your head, unplant it."

"What plot?" she asked innocently as she teased, "I'm just saying…"

"Nothing! You're just saying nothing because I'm with my Vince, and that's how it's gonna be because we're the perfect couple."

"Perfect couple? I didn't know there was such a thing as a perfect couple."

Lola smiled. Now it was her turn to up talk her boyfriend, yay! "Well that proves you don't know everything because we are. Here's proof: He's hot; I'm hot. He's a football player; I'm an aspiring actress. He's a sweetheart; I'm a sweetheart, and we never ever fight for longer than five minutes."

"That's because you two start making out before one insult is thrown."

"Exactly, that's called compromising."

Quinn rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I just don't think a relationship should only be based off of how cute two people look on paper."

Lola was next to roll her eyes. "I'd expect you to say that. I mean, you and Logan go together like peanut butter and jellyfish."

"Actually I love peanut butter and jellyfish were Logan's favorite invertebrate sea animal ages 8 through 10."

"Whatever, I just know that if two people are perfect with each other then why not? We've been good for six and a half months and that's good enough for me."

"You're wrong," disagreed Quinn.

"No, you're wrong."

"Actually, I agree with Quinn," Zoey suddenly walked back in the room and plopped down on her bed. "Two people should be with each other because they truly love each other, not because it _seems_ right."

Lola was flustered for a moment at Zoey's entrance. "Well…you just came in so you don't have a right to agree."

Quinn walked toward Zoey and sat at the edge of her bed next to her. "Don't even try, Zo. She's as stubborn as a mule—hey! That's another thing you and Michael have in common!"

"You and Michael?" Zoey looked back and forth between the two wondering just what the previous conversation was about.

"No! There's no me and Michael! There's a me and Vince, and in five seconds there's going to be a me and that bed because I'm going to sleep so I don't' have to listen to this nonsense anymore."

Quinn giggled while Zoey was still confused. Were they talking about her and Michael _as a couple_? "Wait…I thought you were dating Vince."

"I am!"

"Hold on," interrupted Quinn, "Just how does Vince feel about _you_ spending all your extra time helping _Michael _get over his ex-girlfriend?"

"Well, for your information he…um…" Wow, Lola never really thought about that. She spent almost her whole day with Michael and only talked to Vince once. That was cue for a wave of guilt to run through her. But…hey! Why should she feel guilty? _He_ was the one that thought it was more important to practice football on a freakin' Saturday then spend time with his girlfriend. She was bored, and she could tell Michael really needed her help. So, therefore she had no need to feel bad…right?

"_He…um…_?" Zoey and Quinn both pushed.

"He…um…GOODNIGHT!" before both could respond, Lola ran to cut off the lights of the room and rushed into her bed.

"LOLA!" they yelled, but she could not hear them on account of the loud and obnoxious snores coming from her mouth. The fact that she's never snored a day in her life completely escaped her as she fell to a false-sleep.

* * *

"_Okay, so why did the monkey fall out of the tree?" _

"_Um…I don't know, why?"_

"_Because he was dead!"_

_The pair engaged in a very hearty laugh as Lola hugged her sides and Michael took a quick sip of his sparkling apple juice. They were sitting in a cozy table for two at Sushi Rox and enjoying every second of it. Music gracefully played through their ears and half-eaten Japanese meals were on their plates. Lola finally spoke once she decided her breathing rate was at an acceptable level._

"_Oh, my gosh you are so funny."_

"_Aren't I so?" _

_She took a small bite of her yellow tail. "How much you wanna bet that if I tell that to the gang they'd burst out laughing."_

"_I'd bet on everyone but Quinn. You know she never laughs at any of my jokes," he said solemly._

"_Aw," Lola reached across the table and began stroking his hand. "Well, she's crazy because your jokes are hilariously hilarious!"_

_Michael looked up. "Really?"_

"_Really."_

"_Really really?"_

"_Really really really really."_

_The two gently chuckled and continued with their meals. Their evening continued like this in perfect bliss until Kazu walked over to their table. _

"_Sorry, kids, but the restaurant is closing for the night. I'm going to have to ask you to leave."_

_Both simultaneously jerked up from their conversation about "Why Girls Cover Their Mouths When they're Surprised" and looked around. _

"_Wow," said Lola, "we really are the last ones left."_

"_Yeah…"_

_As Kazu started to walk away, the table became oddly silent. Lola felt extremely weird as she looked up from her plate every couple of seconds to find Michael staring at her._

"…_Do I have something in my teeth?"_

"_No," he said, all joking aside, "your teeth are perfect."_

"_Th-thanks…" Lola couldn't explain why all of a sudden heat started rushing to her cheeks. It was silent again before Michael finally worked up the nerve to speak._

"_Lola, look, there's something that I've wanted to do all day but I haven't summoned the courage to do it._

_Lola froze and stared straight at him. Why now was her heartbeat starting to increase? "What is it?"_

_Michael fidgeted with his napkin then spoke again. "Well…I…I want to thank you for helping me get over Lisa."_

_Lola let out a huge sigh wiped her brow. That's all? Well, that's a major relief. "No problem, Michael. You're like my best guy friend; I'd do anything to help you. You fidgeted over that?"_

"_Well, no. I fidgeted over this," without warning, he rose from his seat and gallantly walked next to Lola's chair. He grabbed her hand and as soon as he lifted her from her seat, he planted a huge an unanticipated kiss on her lips. But what was really huge and unanticipated…was that Lola kissed back._

* * *

In the middle of the night, Lola jerked automatically from her pillow and covers. Sweat dripping from her forehead and neck, she gasped as she opened her eyes.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"

* * *

**A/N: I've been waiting to type up that very last scene for days! W00t! Finally done! Now I know many of you are probably in shock, or feel the very need to flame me for me taking this Michael/Lola direction, and I am more than happy to accept them. I have a perfect reason for this, and like I said in the first chapter, you all will love me by the end of this story. Well, I wish that was the peak of this drama-filled story, but once again, it's not. There is a WHOLE lot more stuff to come, and I absolutely can't wait for this scene between Chase and James where they—oops! I forgot, I can't say it…hehehehehe… I really liked that I finally put Mark in this chapter and even though it wasn't a lot, I can guess you people can understand what's going on in his head. Well, I guess that's it for this chapter, and chapter six should be up soon. Now, before I go…**

**Z101 Trivia Moment! Woo: Now, every time I watch Zoey 101 on Nickelodeon, this baby thing comes on about Victoria Justice a.k.a. Lola Martinez. Now, if you know this then maybe you guys can guess it: **_**What was Victoria Justice's first word?**_** Now, I'm going to give you guys a clue: it's extremely generic, so it won't be that hard. Okeedokee, time to go. Sayonara, Amigos, and please, please review!**


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